Full text of "Folk-tales of Bengal"

See other formats

;v\

</,

* »^»i

BOOK 39- , , ,

1^^

%{>

FOLK -TALES OF BENGAL

MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited

LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO
DALLAS • SAN FRANCISCO

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd.

TORONTO

"She rushed out of the palace . . . and came to the
upper world."

FOLK-TALES OF
BENGAL

BY THE

REV. LAL BEHARI DAY

AUTHOR OF 'BENGAL PEASANT LIFE,' ETC.

WITH 32 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR
BY WARWICK GOBLE

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON

1912

^T?^

First Edition 1883
With Colovred [llustrations hy Warwick Goble, 191 e

RICHARD CARNAC TEMPLE

CAPTAIN, BENGAL STAFF CORPS
F.R.G.S., M.R.A.S., M.A.I., ETC.

WHO FIRST SUGGESTED TO THE WRITER

THE IDEA OF COLLECTING

THESE TALES

AND WHO IS DOING SO MUCH

IN THE CAUSE OF INDIAN FOLK-LORE

THIS LITTLE BOOK

IS INSCRIBED

PREFACE

In my Peasant Life in Bengal I make the peasant
boy Govinda spend some hours every evening in
listening to stories told by an old w^oman, who
was called Sambhu's mother, and who was the
best story-teller in the village. On reading that
passage, Captain R. C. Temple, of the Bengal Staff
Corps, son of the distinguished Indian adminis-
trator Sir Richard Temple, wrote to me to say
how interesting it would be to get a collection of
those unwritten stories which old women in India
recite to little children in the evenings, and to ask
whether I could not make such a collection. As
I was no stranger to the Mahrchen of the Brothers
Grimm, to the Norse Tales so admirably told by
Dasent, to Arnason's Icelandic Stories translated by
Powell, to the Highland Stories done into English

by Campbell, and to the fairy stories collected by

vii

PREFACE

other writers, and as I believed that the collection
suggested would be a contribution, however slight,
to that daily increasing literature of folk-lore and
comparative mythology which, like comparative
philosophy, proves that the swarthy and half-
naked peasant on the banks of the Ganges is a
cousin, albeit of the hundredth remove, to the
fair-skinned and well-dressed Englishman on the
banks of the Thames, I readily caught up the idea
and cast about for materials. But where was an
old story-telling woman to be got ? I had myself,
when a little boy, heard hundreds — it would be no
exaggeration to say thousands — of fairy tales from
that same old woman, Sambhu's mother — -for she
was no fictitious person ; she actually lived in the
flesh and bore that name ; but I had nearly for-
gotten those stories, at any rate they had all got
confused in my head, the tail of one story being
joined to the head of another, and the head of a
third to the tail of a fourth. How I wished that
poor Sambhu's mother had been alive ! But she
had gone long, long ago, to that bourne from
which no traveller returns, and her son Sambhu,

too, had followed her thither. After a great deal

viii

PREFACE

of search 1 found my Gammer Grethel — though
not half so old as the Frau Viehmannin of Hesse-
Casscl — in the person of a Bengali Christian
woman, who, when a little girl and living in her
heathen home, had heard many stories from her
old grandmother. She was a good story-teller,
but her stock was not large ; and after I had heard
ten from her I had to look about for fresh sources.
An old Brahman told me two stories ; an old
barber, three ; an old servant of mine told me two ;
and the rest I heard from another old Brahman.
None of my authorities knew English ; they all
told the stories in Bengali, and I translated them
into English when I came home. I heard many
more stories than those contained in the follow-
ing pages ; but I rejected a great many, as they
appeared to me to contain spurious additions to the
original stories which I had heard when a boy.
I have reason to believe that the stories given in
this book are a genuine sample of the old old
stories told by old Bengali women from age to age
through a hundred generations.

Sambhu's mother used always to end every one

of her stories — and every orthodox Bengali story-

PREFACE

teller does the same — with repeating the following
formula : —

Thus my story endeth.

The Natiya-thorn withe reth.

*' Why^ O Natiya-thorn, dost wither ? "

" Why does thy cow on me browse V

" Why, O cow, dost thou browse ^ "

" Why does thy neat-herd not tend me '^ "

" Why, 0 neat-herdy dost not tend the cow ? "

" Why does thy daughter-in-law not give me rice? "

" Why, O daughter-in-law, dost not give rice ? "

" Why does my child cry ? "

" Why, O child, dost thou cry F "

" Why does the ant bite me 'V

" Why, O ant, dost thou bite F "

Koot ! koot I koot I

What these lines mean, why they are repeated
at the end of every story, and what the connection
is of the several parts to one another, I do not
know. Perhaps the whole is a string of nonsense
purposely put together to amuse little children.

LAL BEHARI DAY.

HooGHLY College,

February 27, 1883.

CONTENTS

SUCKLED

1. Life's Secret ...

2. Phakir Chand

3. The Indigent Brahman

4. The Story of the Rakshasas

5. The Story of Swet-Basanta

6. The Evil Eye of Sani

7. The Boy whom Seven Mothers

8. The Story of Prince Sobur

9. The Origin of Opium
ig. Strike but Hear

11. The Adventures of Two Thieves and of

Sons ....

12. The Ghost-Brahman .

13. The Man who wished to be Perfect

14. A Ghostly Wife ....

15. The Story of a Brahmadaitya

their

PAGE
I

51
61

119
132

140

152

178
188
192

CONTENTS

PAGE

• i6. The Story of a Hiraman 200

17. The Origin of Rubies 211

18. The Match-making Jackal .... 217

19. The Boy with the Moon on his Forehead . 227

20. The Ghost who was Afraid of being Bagged 247

21. The Field of Bones 251

22. The Bald Wife 269

XII

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

" She rushed out of the palace . . . and came to the upper

world "(p. 26) ...... Frontispiece

" The Suo queen went to the door with a handful of rice " i

" The prince revived, and, walking about, saw a human

figure near the gate "...... 9

" She took up the jewel in her hand, left the palace, and

successfully reached the upper world " . . . 22

" He rushed out of his hiding-place and killed the serpent " 43

" Instead of sweetmeats about a score of demons " . . 56

" At the door of which stood a l^dy of exquisite beauty " . 62

" In a trice she woke up, sat up in her bed, and eyeing the

stranger, inquired who he was" .... 77

The Girl of the Wall-Almirah 90

" On a sudden an elephant gorgeously caparisoned shot

across his path " . . . . . . . 95

"They then set out on their journey " .... 106

" A monstrous bird comes out apparently from the palace " 117

" Hundreds of peacocks of gorgeous plumes came to the

embankments to eat the /^^tf/ " . . . .123

" ' You would adorn the palace of the mightiest sovereign ' " 138

xiii

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

" He saw a beautiful woman coming out of the palace " . 141

" ' Husband, take up all this large quantity of gold and

these precious stones '" . . . . .145

" They ran away in great fear, leaving behind them the

money and jewels " . . . . . .162

" The camel-driver alighted, tied the camel to a tree on

the spot, and began smoking " . . . .170

" ' How is it that you have returned so soon ? ' " , . 174

" At dawn he used to cull flowers in the forest " . . 181

"The Brahman's wife had occasion to go to the tank, and

as she went she brushed by a Sankchinni " . . 188

" The moment the first stroke was given, a great many

ghosts rushed towards the Brahman" . . .194

The lady, king, and hiraman all reached the king's

capital safe and sound " . . . . .210

What princess ever puts only one ruby in her hair ? ' " 214

"Coming up to the surface they climbed into the boat" . 216

" The jackal . . . opened his bundle of betel-leaves, put

some into his mouth, and began chewing them" . 218

'■ A bright light, like that of the moon, was seen shining

on his forehead " . . . . . .237

" The six queens tried to comfort him " ... 238

" ' Now, barber, I am going to destroy you. Who will

protect you ? '" 248

" They approached a magnificent pile of buildings " . 259

"Thus the princess was deserted" ..... 266

" When she got out of the water, what a change was seen

(( c

in her ! " .

xiv

271

'vv/ar.vv I c K, i3 o a t-f-

" The Suo queen went to the door with a handful of rice."

LIFE'S SECRET

There was a king who had two queens, Duo and
Suo.^ Both of them were childless. One day a
Faquir (mendicant) came to the palace-gate to ask
for alms. The Suo queen went to the door with
a handful of rice. The mendicant asked whether
she had any children. On being answered in the
negative, the holy mendicant refused to take alms,
as the hands of a woman unblessed with child are
regarded as ceremonially unclean. He offered her
a drug for removing her barrenness, and she ex-
pressing her willingness to receive it, he gave it to
her with the following directions : — " Take this
nostrum, swallow it with the juice of the pome-
granate flower ; if you do this, you will have a
son in due time. The son will be exceedingly
handsome, and his complexion will be of the
colour of the pomegranate flower ; and you shall
call him Dalim Kumar.^ As enemies will try to
take away the life of your son, I may as well tell

1 Kings, in Bengali folk-talcs, have invariably two queens — the elder is
called duo, that is, not loved ; and the younger is called suo, that is, loved.

2 Dalim or dadimba means a pomegranate, and kumara son.

I B

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL i

you that the life of the boy will be bound up in
the life of a big boal fish which is in your tank, in
front of the palace. In the heart of the fish is a
small box of wood, in the box is a necklace of gold,
that necklace is the life of your son. Farewell."

In the course of a month or so it was whispered
in the palace that the Suo queen had hopes of an
heir. Great was the joy of the king. Visions
of an heir to the throne, and of a never-ending
succession of powerful monarchs perpetuating his
dynasty to the latest generations, floated before his
mind, and made him glad as he had never been
in his life. The usual ceremonies performed on
such occasions were celebrated with great pomp ;
and the subjects made loud demonstrations of their
joy at the anticipation of so auspicious an event as
the birth of a prince. In the fulness of time
the Suo queen gave birth to a son of uncommon
beauty. When the king the first time saw the
face of the infant, his heart leaped with joy. The
ceremony of the child's first rice was celebrated
with extraordinary pomp, and the whole kingdom
was filled with gladness.

In course of time Dalim Kumar grew up a
fine boy. Of all sports he was most addicted to
playing with pigeons. This brought him into
frequent contact with his stepmother, the Duo
queen, into whose apartments Dalim's pigeons
had a trick of always flying. The first time the
pigeons flew into her rooms, she readily gave
them up to the owner ; but the second time she
gave them up with some reluctance. The fact

I LIFE'S SECRET

is that the Duo queen, perceiving that Dalim's
pigeons had this happy knack of flying into her
apartments, wished to take advantage of it for
the furtherance of her own selfish views. She
naturally hated the child, as the king, since his
birth, neglected her more than ever, and idolised
the fortunate mother of Dalim. She had heard,
it is not known how, that the holy mendicant that
had given the famous pill to the Suo queen had
also told her of a secret connected with the child's
life. She had heard that the child's life was
bound up with something — she did not know
with what. She determined to extort that secret
from the boy. Accordingly, the next time the
pigeons flew into her rooms, she refused to give
them up, addressing the child thus : — " I won't
give the pigeons up unless you tell me one thing."

Dalim. What thing, mamma .?

Duo, Nothing particular, my darling ; I only
want to know in what your life is.

Dalim. What is that, mamma ? Where can
my life be except in me ?

Duo. No, child ; that is not what I mean.
A holy mendicant told your mother that your life
is bound up with something. I wish to know
what that thing is.

Dalim. I never heard of any such thing,
mamma.

Duo. If you promise to inquire of your mother
in what thing your life is, and if you tell me what
your mother says, then I will let you have the
pigeons, otherwise not.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL i

Dalim. Very well, FU inquire, and let you
know. Now, please, give me my pigeons.

Duo. Fll give them on one condition more.
Promise to me that you will not tell your mother
that I want the information.

Dalim. I promise.

The Duo queen let go the pigeons, and Dalim,
overjoyed to find again his beloved birds, forgot
every syllable of the conversation he had had
with his stepmother. The next day, however,
the pigeons again flew into the Duo queen's
rooms. Dalim went to his stepmother, who
asked him for the required information. The boy
promised to ask his mother that very day, and
begged hard for the release of the pigeons. The
pigeons were at last delivered. After play, Dalim
went to his mother and said — " Mamma, please
tell me in what my life is contained." " What do
you mean, child } " asked the mother, astonished
beyond measure at the child's extraordinary ques-
tion. "Yes, mamma," rejoined the child, "I have
heard that a holy mendicant told you that my life
is contained in something. Tell me what that
thing is." " My pet, my darling, my treasure,
my golden moon, do not ask such an inauspicious
question. Let the mouth of my enemies be
covered with ashes, and let my Dalim live for
ever," said the mother, earnestly. But the child
insisted on being informed of the secret. He said
he would not eat or drink anything unless the
information were given him. The Suo queen,
pressed by the importunity of her son, in an evil

I LIFE'S SECRET

hour told the child the secret of his life. The
next day the pigeons again, as fate would have it,
flew into the Duo queen's rooms. Dalim went
for them ; the stepmother plied the boy with
sugared words, and obtained the knowledge of the
secret.

The Duo queen, on learning the secret of
Dalim Kumar's life, lost no time in using it for
the prosecution of her malicious design. She told
her maid-servants to get for her some dried stalks
of the hemp plant, which are very brittle, and
which, when pressed upon, make a peculiar noise,
not unlike the cracking of joints of bones in the
human body. These hemp stalks she put under
her bed, upon which she laid herself down and
gave out that she was dangerously ill. The king,
though he did not love her so well as his other
queen, was in duty bound to visit her in her ill-
ness. The queen pretended that her bones were
all cracking ; and sure enough, when she tossed
from one side of her bed to the other, the hemp
stalks made the noise wanted. The king, be-
lieving that the Duo queen was seriously ill,
ordered his best physician to attend her. With
that physician the Duo queen was in collusion.
The physician said to the king that for the queen's
complaint there was but one remedy, which con-
sisted in the outward application of something to
be found inside a large boal fish which was in the
tank before the palace. The king's fisherman was
accordingly called and ordered to catch the boal in
question. On the first throw of the net the fish

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL i

was caught. It so happened that Dalim Kumar,

along with other boys, was playing not far from

the tank. The moment the boal fish was caught

in the net, that moment Dalim felt unwell ; and

when the fish was brought up to land, Dalim fell

down on the ground, and made as if he was about

to breathe his last. He was immediately taken

into his mother's room, and the king was astonished

on hearing of the sudden illness of his son and

heir. The fish was by the order of the physician

taken into the room of the Duo queen, and as it

lay on the floor striking its fins on the ground,

Dalim in his mother's room was given up for lost.

When the fish was cut open, a casket was found in

it ; and in the casket lay a necklace of gold. The

moment the necklace was worn by the queen, that

very moment Dalim died in his mother's room.

When the news of the death of his son and

heir reached the king he was plunged into an

ocean of grief, which was not lessened in any

degree by the intelligence of the recovery of the

Duo queen. He wept over his dead Dalim so

bitterly that his courtiers were apprehensive of a

permanent derangement of his mental powers.

The king would not allow the dead body of his

son to be either buried or burnt. He could not

realise the fact of his son's death ; it was so

entirely causeless and so terribly sudden. He

ordered the dead body to be removed to one of

his garden-houses in the suburbs of the city, and

to be laid there in state. He ordered that all sorts

of provisions should be stowed away in that house,

I LIFE'S SECRET

as if the young prince needed them for his refec-
tion. Orders were issued that the house should
be kept locked up day and night, and that no one
should go into it except Dalim's most intimate
friend, the son of the king's prime minister, who
was intrusted with the key of the house, and who
obtained the privilege of entering it once in
twenty-four hours.

As, owing to her great loss, the Suo queen
lived in retirement, the king gave up his nights
entirely to the Duo queen. The latter, in order to
allay suspicion, used to put aside the gold necklace
at night ; and, as fate had ordained that Dalim
should be in the state of death only during the time
that the necklace was round the neck of the queen,
he passed into the state of life whenever the neck-
lace was laid aside. Accordingly Dalim revived
every night, as the Duo queen every night put
away the necklace, and died again the next morning
when the queen put it on. When Dalim became
reanimated at night he ate whatever food he liked,
for of such there was a plentiful stock in the
garden-house, walked about on the premises, and
meditated on the singularity of his lot. Dalim's
friend, who visited him only during the day, found
him always lying a lifeless corpse ; but what
struck him after some days was the singular fact
that the body remained in the same state in which
he saw it on the first day of his visit. There
was no sign of putrefaction. Except that it was
lifeless and pale, there were no symptoms of
corruption — it was apparently quite fresh. Unable

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL i

to account for so strange a phenomenon, he
determined to watch the corpse more closely, and
to visit it not only during the day but sometimes
also at night. The first night that he paid his
visit he w^as astounded to see his dead friend
sauntering about in the garden. At first he
thought the figure might be only the ghost of his
friend, but on feeling him and otherwise ex-
amining him, he found the apparition to be veri-
table flesh and blood. Dalim related to his friend
all the circumstances connected with his death ;
and they both concluded that he revived at nights
only because the Duo queen put aside her necklace
when the king visited her. As the life of the
prince depended on the necklace, the two friends
laid their heads together to devise if possible some
plans by which they might get possession of it.
Night after night they consulted together, but
they could not think of any feasible scheme. At
length the gods brought about the deliverance of
Dalim Kumar in a wonderful manner.

Some years before the time of which we are
speaking, the sister of Bidhata-Purusha ^ was de-
livered of a daughter. The anxious mother asked
her brother what he had written on her child's
forehead ; to which Bidhata-Purusha replied that
she should get married to a dead bridegroom.
Maddened as she became with grief at the
prospect of such a dreary destiny for her daughter,

* Bidhata-Purusha is the deity that predetermines all the events of the life
of man or woman, and writes on the forehead ot the child, on the sixth day
of its birth, a brief /»Ym of them.

ui-C.

" The prince revived, and, walking about, saw a human
figure near the gate."

I LIFE'S SECRET

she yet thought it useless to remonstrate with her
brother, for she well knew that he never changed
what he once wrote. As the child grew in years
she became exceedingly beautiful, but the mother
could not look upon her with pleasure in
consequence of the portion allotted to her by her
divine brother. When the girl came to marriage-
able age, the mother resolved to flee from the
country with her, and thus avert her dreadful
destiny. But the decrees of fate cannot thus be
overruled. In the course of their wanderings the
mother and daughter arrived at the gate of that
very garden-house in which Dalim Kumar lay.
It was evening. The girl said she was thirsty and
wanted to drink water. The mother told her
daughter to sit at the gate, while she went to
search for drinking water in some neighbouring
hut. In the meantime the girl through curiosity
pushed the door of the garden-house, which
opened of itself She then went in and saw a
beautiful palace, and was wishing to come out
when the door shut itself of its own accord, so that
she could not get out. As night came on the
prince revived, and, walking about, saw a human
figure near the gate. He went up to it, and found
it was a girl of surpassing beauty. On being
asked who she was, she told Dalim Kumar all the
details of her little history, — how her uncle, the
divine Bidhata-Purusha, wrote on her forehead at
her birth that she should get married to a dead
bridegroom, how her mother had no pleasure in
her life at the prospect of so terrible a destiny, and

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL i

how, therefore, on the approach of her woman-
hood, with a view to avert so dreadful a cata-
strophe, she had left her house with her and
wandered in various places, how they came to the
gate of the garden-house, and how her mother had
now gone in search of drinking water for her.
Dalim Kumar, hearing her simple and pathetic
story, said, " I am the dead bridegroom, and you
must get married to me, come with me to the
house." " How can you be said to be a dead
bridegroom when you are standing and speaking
to me ? " said the girl. " You will understand it
afterwards," rejoined the prince, " come now and
follow me." The girl followed the prince into
the house. As she had been fasting the whole
day the prince hospitably entertained her. As for
the mother of the girl, the sister of the divine
Bidhata-Purusha, she returned to the gate of the
garden-house after it was dark, cried out for her
daughter, and getting no answer, went away in
search of her in the huts in the neighbourhood.
It is said that after this she was not seen any-
where.

While the niece of the divine Bidhata-Purusha
was partaking of the hospitality of Dalim Kumar,
his friend as usual made his appearance. He was
surprised not a little at the sight of the fair
stranger ; and his surprise became greater when
he heard the story of the young lady from her
own lips. It was forthwith resolved that very
night to unite the young couple in the bonds of
matrimony. As priests were out of the question,

I LIFE'S SECRET

the hymeneal rites were performed a la Gandharva}
The friend of the bridegroom took leave of the
newly-married couple and went away to his house.
As the happy pair had spent the greater part of
the night in wakefulness, it was long after sunrise
that they awoke from their sleep ; — I should have
said that the young wife woke from her sleep, for
the prince had become a cold corpse, life having
departed from him. The feelings of the young
wife may be easily imagined. She shook her
husband, imprinted warm kisses on his cold lips,
but in vain. He was as lifeless as a marble statue.
Stricken with horror, she smote her breast, struck
her forehead with the palms of her hands, tore her
hair and went about in the house and in the garden
as if she had gone mad. Dalim's friend did not
come into the house during the day, as he deemed
it improper to pay a visit to her while her husband
was lying dead. The day seemed to the poor girl
as long as a year, but the longest day has its end,
and when the shades of evening were descending
upon the landscape, her dead husband was awakened
into consciousness ; he rose up from his bed,
embraced his disconsolate wife, ate, drank, and
became merry. His friend made his appearance
as usual, and the whole night was spent in gaiety
and festivity. Amid this alternation of life and
death did the prince and his lady spend some seven
or eight years, during which time the princess
presented her husband with two lovely boys who
were the exact image of their father.

1 There are eight forms of marriage spoken of in the Hindu Sastras, ot
which the Gandharva is one, consisting in the exchange of garlands.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL i

It is superfluous to remark that the king, the
two queens, and other members of the royal house-
hold did not know that Dalim Kumar was living,
at any rate, was living at night. They all thought
that he was long ago dead and his corpse burnt.
But the heart of Dalim's wife was yearning after
her mother-in-law, whom she had never seen.
She conceived a plan by which she might be able
not only to have a sight of her mother-in-law, but
also to get hold of the Duo queen's necklace, on
which her husband's life was dependent. With
the consent of her husband and of his friend she
disguised herself as a female barber. Like every
female barber she took a bundle containing the
following articles : — an iron instrument for paring
nails, another iron instrument for scraping off the
superfluous flesh of the soles of the feet, a piece of
jhama or burnt brick for rubbing the soles of the
feet with, and alakta ^ for painting the edges of the
feet and toes with. Taking this bundle in her
hand she stood at the gate of the king's palace
with her two boys. She declared herself to be
a barber, and expressed a desire to see the Suo
queen, who readily gave her an interview. The
queen was quite taken up with the two little boys,
who, she declared, strongly reminded her of her
darling Dalim Kumar. Tears fell profusely from
her eyes at the recollection of her lost treasure ;
but she of course had not the remotest idea that
the two little boys were the sons of her own dear
Dalim. She told the supposed barber that she did

1 Alakta is leaves or flimsy paper saturated with lac.

I LIFE'S SECRET

not require her services, as, since the death of her
son, she had given up all terrestrial vanities, and
among others the practice of dyeing her feet red ;
but she added that, nevertheless, she would be glad
now^ and then to see her and her two fine boys.
The female barber, for so we must now call her,
then went to the quarters of the Duo queen and
offered her services. The queen allowed her to
pare her nails, to scrape off the superfluous flesh of
her feet, and to paint them with alakta^ and was
so pleased with her skill, and the sweetness of her
disposition, that she ordered her to wait upon her
periodically. The female barber noticed with no
little concern the necklace round the queen's neck.
The day of her second visit came on, and she
instructed the elder of her two sons to set up a
loud cry in the palace, and not to stop crying till
he got into his hands the Duo queen's necklace.
The female barber, accordingly, went again on the
appointed day to the Duo queen's apartments.
While she was engaged in painting the queen's
feet, the elder boy set up a loud cry. On being
asked the reason of the cry, the boy, as previously
instructed, said that he wanted the queen's necklace.
The queen said that it was impossible for her to
part with that particular necklace, for it was the
best and most valuable of all her jewels. To
gratify the boy, however, she took it off her neck,
and put it into the boy's hand. The boy stopped
crying and held the necklace tight in his hand.
As the female barber after she had done her work
was about to go away, the queen wanted the neck-

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL i

lace back. But the boy would not part with it.
When his mother attempted to snatch it from him,
he wept bitterly, and showed as if his heart would
break. On which the female barber said — " Will
your Majesty be gracious enough to let the boy
take the necklace home with him ? When he
falls asleep after drinking his milk, which he is
sure to do in the course of an hour, I will carefully
bring it back to you." The queen, seeing that the
boy would not allow it to be taken away from
him, agreed to the proposal of the female barber,
especially reflecting that Dalim, whose life depended
on it, had long ago gone to the abodes of death.

Thus possessed of the treasure on which the life
of her husband depended, the woman went with
breathless haste to the garden-house and presented
the necklace to Dalim, who had been restored to
life. Their joy knew no bounds, and by the advice
of their friend they determined the next day to go
to the palace in state, and present themselves to the
king and the Suo queen. Due preparations were
made ; an elephant, richly caparisoned, was brought
for the prince Dalim Kumar, a pair of ponies for
the two little boys, and a chaturdala ^ furnished
with curtains of gold lace for the princess. Word
was sent to the king and the Suo queen that the
prince Dalim Kumar was not only alive, but that
he was coming to visit his royal parents with his
wife and sons. The king and Suo queen could
hardly believe in the report, but being assured of

1 A sort of open Palki, used generally for carrying the bridegroom and
bride in marriage processions.

I LIFE'S SECRET

its truth they were entranced with joy ; while the
Duo queen, anticipating the disclosure of all her
wiles, became overwhelmed with grief. The pro-
cession of Dalim Kumar, which was attended by a
band of musicians, approached the palace-gate ;
and the king and Suo queen went out to receive
their long-lost son. It is needless to say that their
joy was intense. They fell on each other's neck
and wept. Dalim then related all the circumstances
connected with his death. The king, inflamed
with rage, ordered the Duo queen into his presence.
A large hole, as deep as the height of a man, was
dug in the ground. The Duo queen was put into
it in a standing posture. Prickly thorn was heaped
around her up to the crown of her head ; and in
this manner she was buried alive.

Thus my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn wit here th ;

" Why, O Natiya-thorn, dost wither ? "

" Why does thy cow on me browse ? "

" Why, O cow, dost thou browse ? "

" Why does thy neat-herd not tetid me V

" Why, O neat-herd, dost not tend the cow f "

" Why does thy daughter-in-law not give me rice ? "

*' Why, O daughter-in-law, dost not give rice f "

" Why does my child cry f "

" Why, O child, dost thou cry ? "

" Why does the ant bite meV

" Why, O ant, dost thou bite ^ "

Root ! koot I hot !

PHAKIR CHAND

There was a king's son, and there was a minister's
son. They loved each other dearly ; they sat
together, they stood up together, they walked
together, they ate together, they slept together,
.they got up together. In this way they spent
many years in each other's company, till they both
felt a desire to see foreign lands. So one day they
set out on their journey. Though very rich, the
one being the son of a king and the other the son
of his chief minister, they did not take any servants
with them ; they went by themselves on horseback.
The horses were beautiful to look at ; they were
pakshirajes^ or kings of birds. The king's son and
the minister's son rode together many days. They
passed through extensive plains covered with paddy ;
through cities, towns, and villages ; through water-
less, treeless deserts ; through dense forests which
were the abode of the tiger and the bear. One
evening they were overtaken by night in a region
where human habitations were not seen ; and as it
was getting darker and darker, they dismounted
beneath a lofty tree, tied their horses to its trunk,

II PHAKIR CHAND

and, climbing up, sat on its branches covered with
thick foliage. The tree grew near a large tank,
the water of which was as clear as the eye of a
crow. The king's son and the minister's son made
themselves as comfortable as they could on the tree,
being determined to spend on its branches the
livelong night. They sometimes chatted together
in whispers on account of the lonely terrors of the
region ; they sometimes sat demurely silent for
some minutes ; and anon they were falling into a
doze, when their attention was arrested by a terrible
sight.

A sound like the rush of many waters was
heard from the middle of the tank. A huge
serpent was seen leaping up from under the water
with its hood of enormous size. It " lay floating
many a rood " ; then it swam ashore, and went
about hissing. But what most of all attracted the
attention of the king's son and the minister's son
was a brilliant manikya (jewel) on the crested hood
of the serpent. It shone like a thousand diamonds.
It lit up the tank, its embankments, and the objects
round about. The serpent doffed the jewel from
its crest and threw it on the ground, and then it
went about hissing in search of food. The two
friends sitting on the tree greatly admired the
wonderful brilliant, shedding ineffable lustre on
everything around. They had never before seen
anything like it ; they had only heard of it as
equalling the treasures of seven kings. Their
admiration, however, was soon changed into sorrow
and fear ; for the serpent came hissing to the foot

17 c

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

of the tree on the branches of which they were
seated, and swallowed up, one by one, the horses
tied to the trunk. They feared that they them-
selves would be the next victims, when, to their
infinite relief, the gigantic cobra turned away from
the tree, and went about roaming to a great distance.
The minister's son, seeing this, bethought himself
of taking possession of the lustrous stone. He had
heard that the only way to hide the brilliant light
of the jewel was to cover it with cow-dung or
horse-dung, a quantity of which latter article he
perceived lying at the foot of the tree. He came
down from the tree softly, picked up the horse-
dung, threw it upon the precious stone, and again
climbed into the tree. The serpent, not perceiving
the light of its head-jewel, rushed with great fury
to the spot where it had been left. Its hissings,
groans, and convulsions were terrible. It went
round and round the jewel covered with horse-dung,
and then breathed its last. Early next morning the
king's son and the minister's son alighted from the
tree, and went to the spot where the crest-jewel
was. The mighty serpent lay there perfectly
lifeless. The minister's son took up in his hand
the jewel covered with horse-dung ; and both of
them went to the tank to wash it. When all the
horse-dung had been washed off, the jewel shone
as brilliantly as before. It lit up the entire bed
of the tank, and exposed to their view the in-
numerable fishes swimming about in the waters.
But what was their astonishment when they saw,
by the light of the jewel, in the bottom of the

II PHAKIR CHAND

tank, the lofty walls of what seemed a magnificent
palace. The venturesome son of the minister
proposed to the prince that they should dive into
the waters and get at the palace below. They
both dived into the waters — the jewel being in the
hand of the minister's son — and in a moment stood
at the gate of the palace. The gate was open.
They saw no being, human or superhuman. They
went inside the gate, and saw a beautiful garden
laid out on the ample grounds round about the
house which was in the centre. The king's son
and the minister's son had never seen such a pro-
fusion of flowers. The rose with its many varieties,
the jessamine, the bel^ the mallika^ the king of
smells^ the lily of the valley, the Champaka^ and a
thousand other sorts of sweet-scented flowers were
there. And of each of these flowers there seemed
to be a large number. Here were a hundred rose-
bushes, there many acres covered with the delicious
jessamine, while yonder were extensive plantations
of all sorts of flowers. As all the plants were
begemmed with flowers, and as the flowers were
in full bloom, the air was loaded with rich perfume.
It was a wilderness of sweets. Through this
paradise of perfumery they proceeded towards the
house, which was surrounded by banks of lofty
trees. They stood at the door of the house. It
was a fairy palace. The walls were of burnished
gold, and here and there shone diamonds of dazzling
hue which were stuck into the walls. They did
not meet with any beings, human or other. They
went inside, which was richly furnished. They

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

went from room to room, but they did not see
any one. It seemed to be a deserted house. At
last, however, they found in one room a young
lady lying down, apparently in sleep, on a bed of
golden framework. She was of exquisite beauty ;
her complexion was a mixture of red and white ;
and her age was apparently about sixteen. The
king's son and the minister's son gazed upon her
with rapture ; but they had not stood long when
this young lady of superb beauty opened her eyes,
which seemed like those of a gazelle. On seeing'
the strangers she said : " How have you come here,
ye unfortunate men ? Begone, begone ! This is
the abode of a mighty serpent, which has devoured
my father, my mother, my brothers, and all my
relatives ; I am the only one of my family that he
has spared. Flee for your lives, or else the serpent
will put you both in its capacious maw." The
minister's son told the princess how the serpent
had breathed its last ; how he and his friend had
got possession of its head-jewel, and by its light
had come to her palace. She thanked the strangers
for delivering her from the infernal serpent, and
begged of them to live in the house, and never to
desert her. The king's son and the minister's son
gladly accepted the invitation. The king's son,,
smitten with the charms of the peerless princess,
married her after a short time ; and as there was
no priest there, the hymeneal knot was tied by a
simple exchange of garlands of flowers.

The king's son became inexpressibly happy in
the company of the princess, who was as amiable

II PHAKIR CHAND

in her disposition as she was beautiful in her
person ; and though the wife of the minister's son
was living in the upper world, he too participated
in his friend's happiness. Time thus passed
merrily, when the king's son bethought himself of
returning to his native country ; and as it was fit
that he should go with his princess in due pomp,
it was determined that the minister's son should
first ascend from the subaqueous regions, go to
the king, and bring with him attendants, horses,
and elephants for the happy pair. The snake-
jewel was therefore had in requisition. The
prince, with the jewel in hand, accompanied the
minister's son to the upper world, and bidding adieu
to his friend returned to his lovely wife in the en-
chanted palace. Before leaving, the minister's son
appointed the day and the hour when he would
stand on the high embankments of the tank with
horses, elephants, and attendants, and wait upon
the prince and the princess, who were to join him
in the upper world by means of the jewel.

Leaving the minister's son to wend his way to
his country and to make preparations for the
return of his king's son, let us see how the happy
couple in the subterranean palace were passing
their time. One day, while the prince was sleep-
ing after his noonday meal, the princess, who had
never seen the upper regions, felt the desire of
visiting them, and the rather as the snake-jewel,
which alone could give her safe conduct through
the waters, was at that moment shedding its
bright effulgence in the room. She took up the

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

jewel in her hand, left the palace, and successfully
reached the upper world. No mortal caught her
sight. She sat on the flight of steps with which
the tank was furnished for the convenience of
bathers, scrubbed her body, washed her hair, dis-
ported in the waters, walked about on the water's
edge, admired all the scenery around, and returned
to her palace, where she found her husband still
locked in the embrace of sleep. When the prince
woke up, she did not tell him a word about her
adventure. The following day at the same hour,
when her husband was asleep, she paid a second
visit to the upper world, and went back unnoticed
by mortal man. As success made her bold, she
repeated her adventure a third time. It so
chanced that on that day the son of the Rajah, in
whose territories the tank was situated, was out on
a hunting excursion, and had pitched his tent not
far from the place. While his attendants were
engaged in cooking their noon -day meal, the
Rajah's son sauntered about on the embankments
of the tank, near which an old woman was
gathering sticks and dried branches of trees for
purposes of fuel. It was while the Rajah's son
and the old woman were near the tank that the
princess paid her third visit to the upper world.
She rose up from the waters, gazed around, and
seeing a man and a woman on the banks again
went down. The Rajah's son caught a momentary
glimpse of the princess, and so did the old woman
gathering sticks. The Rajah's son stood gazing
on the waters. He had never seen such a beauty.

" She took up the jewel in her hand, left the palace,
and successfully reached the upper world."

II PHAKIR CHAND

She seemed to him to be one of those deva-kanyas,
heavenly goddesses, of whom he had read in old
books, and who are said now and then to favour
the lower world with their visits, which, like angel
visits, are " few and far between." The unearthly
beauty of the princess, though he had seen her
only for a moment, made a deep impression on his
heart, and distracted his mind. He stood there
like a statue, for hours, gazing on the waters, in
the hope of seeing the lovely figure again. But in
vain. The princess did not appear again. The
Rajah's son became mad with love. He kept
muttering — " Now here, now gone ! Now here,
now gone ! " He would not leave the place till
he was forcibly removed by the attendants who
had now come to him. He was taken to his
father's palace in a state of hopeless insanity. He
spoke to nobody ; he always sobbed heavily ; and
the only words which proceeded out of his mouth
— and he was muttering them every minute —
were, " Now here, now gone ! Now here, now
gone ! " The Rajah's grief may well be
conceived. He could not imagine what should
have deranged his son's mind. The words, " Now
here, now gone," which ever and anon issued from
his son's lips, were a mystery to him ; he could
not unravel their meaning ; neither could the
attendants throw any light on the subject. The
best physicians of the country were consulted, but
to no effect. The sons of ^sculapius could not
ascertain the cause of the madness, far less could
they cure it. To the many inquiries of the

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

physicians, the only reply made by the Rajah's son
was the stereotyped words — " Now here, now
gone ! Now here, now gone ! "

The Rajah, distracted with grief on account of
the obscuration of his son's intellects, caused a
proclamation to be made in the capital by beat of
drum, to the effect that, if any person could
explain the cause of his son's madness and cure it,
such a person would be rewarded with the hand of
the Rajah's daughter, and with the possession of
half his kingdom. The drum was beaten round
most parts of the city, but no one touched it, as no
one knew the cause of the madness of the Rajah's
son. At last an old woman touched the drum,
and declared that she would not only discover the
cause of the madness, but cure it. This woman,
who was the identical woman that was gathering
sticks near the tank at the time the Rajah's son lost
his reason, had a crack-brained son of the name
of Phakir Chand, and was in consequence called
Phakir's mother, or more familiarly Phakre's
mother. When the woman was brought before
the Rajah, the following conversation took
place : —

Rajah. You are the woman that touched the
drum. — You know the cause of my son's madness ?

Phakir s Mother. Yes, O incarnation of justice!
I know the cause, but I will not mention it till I
have cured your son.

Rajah. How can I believe that you are able
to cure my son, when the best physicians of the
land have failed ?

" PHAKIR CHAND

Phakirs Mother. You need not now believe,
my lord, till I have performed the cure. Many
an old v^oman knows secrets with which wise men
are unacquainted.

Rajah. Very well, let me see what you can
do. In what time will you perform the cure ?

Phakirs Mother. It is impossible to fix the
time at present ; but I will begin work immediately
with your lordship's assistance.

Rajah. What help do you require from me .?
Phakirs Mother. Your lordship will please
order a hut to be raised on the embankment of the
tank where your son first caught the disease. I
mean to live in that hut for a few days. And
your lordship will also please order some of your
servants to be in attendance at a distance of about
a hundred yards from the hut, so that they might
be within call.

^ Rajah. Very well ; I will order that to be
immediately done. Do you want anything else ?

Phakir's Mother. Nothing else, my lord, in
the way of preparations. But it is as well to
remind your lordship of the conditions on which I
undertake the cure. Your lordship has promised
to give to the performer of the cure the hand of
your daughter and half your kingdom. As I am a
woman and cannot marry your daughter, I beg
that, in case I perform the cure, my son Phakir
Chand may marry your daughter and take possession
ot half your kingdom.

Rajah. Agreed, agreed.

A temporary hut was in a few hours erected

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

on the embankment of the tank, and Phaklr*s
mother took up her abode in it. An outpost was
also erected at some distance for servants in attend-
ance who might be required to give help to the
woman. Strict orders were given by Phakir's
mother that no human being should go near the
tank excepting herself. Let us leave Phakir's
mother keeping watch at the tank, and hasten
down into the subterranean palace to see what
the prince and the princess are about. After the
mishap which had occurred on her last visit to the
upper world, the princess had given up the idea of
a fourth visit. But women generally have greater
curiosity than men ; and the princess of the
underground palace was no exception to the
general rule. One day, while her husband was
asleep as usual after his noonday meal, she rushed
out of the palace with the snake-jewel in her hand,
and came to the upper world. The moment the
upheaval of the waters in the middle of the tank
took place, Phakir's mother, who was on the alert,
concealed herself in the hut and began looking
through the chinks of the matted wall. The
princess, seeing no mortal near, came to the
bank, and sitting there began to scrub her body.
Phakir's mother showed herself outside the hut,
and addressing the princess, said in a winning tone
— " Come, my child, thou queen of beauty, come
to me, and I will help you to bathe. '^ So saying,
she approached the princess, who, seeing that it
was only a woman, made no resistance. The old

woman, while in the act of washing the hair of

II PHAKIR CHAND

the princess, noticed the bright jewel in her hand,
and said — " Put the jewel here till you are bathed."
In a moment the jewel was in the possession of
Phakir's mother, who wrapped it up in the cloth
that was round her waist. Knowing the princess
to be unable to escape, she gave the signal to the
attendants in waiting, who rushed to the tank and
made the princess a captive.

Great were the rejoicings of the people when
the tidings reached the city that Phakir's mother
had captured a water-nymph from the nether
regions. The whole city came to see the " daughter
of the immortals," as they called the princess.
When she was brought to the palace and confronted
with the Rajah's son of obscured intellect, the
latter said with a shout of exultation — " I have
found ! I have found ! " The cloud which had
settled on his brain was dissipated in a moment.
The eyes, erewhile vacant and lustreless, now
glowed with the fire of intelligence ; his tongue,
of which he had almost lost the use — the only
words which he used to utter being, " Now here,
now gone ! " — was now relaxed : in a word, he
was restored to his senses. The joy of the Rajah
knew no bounds. There was great festivity in the
city ; and the people who showered benedictions
on the head of Phakir Chand's mother, expected
the speedy celebration of the marriage of the
Rajah's son with the beauty of the nether world.
The princess, however, told the Rajah, through
Phakir's mother, that she had made a vow to the

effect that she would not, for one whole year, look

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

at the face of another man than that of her husband
who was dwelling beneath the waters, and that
therefore the marriage could not be performed
during that period. Though the Rajah's son was
somewhat disappointed, he readily agreed to the
delay, believing, agreeably to the proverb, that
delay would greatly enhance the sweetness of those
pleasures which were in store for him.

It is scarcely necessary to say that the princess
spent her days and her nights in sorrowing and sigh-
ing. She lamented that idle curiosity which had
led her to come to the upper world, leaving her
husband below. When she recollected that her hus-
band was all alone below the waters she wept bitter
tears. She wished she could run away. But that
was impossible, as she was immured within walls,
and there were walls within walls. Besides, if she
could get out of the palace and of the city, of what
avail would it be ? She could not gain her husband,
as the serpent jewel was not in her possession.
The ladies of the palace and Phakir's mother tried
to divert her mind, but in vain. She took pleasure
in nothing ; she would hardly speak to any one ;
she wept day and night. The year of her vow
was drawing to a close, and yet she was disconsolate.
The marriage, however, must be celebrated. The
Rajah consulted the astrologers, and the day and
the hour in which the nuptial knot was to be tied
were fixed. Great preparations were made. The
confectioners of the city busied themselves day and
night in preparing sweetmeats ; milkmen took

contracts for supplying the palace with tanks of

II PHAKIR CHAND

curds ; gunpowder was being manufactured for a
grand display of fireworks ; bands of musicians
were placed on sheds erected over the palace gate,
who ever and anon sent forth many " a bout of
linked sweetness " ; and the whole city assumed an
air of mirth and festivity.

It is time we should think of the minister's
son, who, leaving his friend in the subterranean
palace, had gone to his country to bring horses,
elephants, and attendants for the return of the king's
son and his lovely princess with due pomp. The
preparations took him many months ; and when
everything was ready he started on his journey,
accompanied by a long train of elephants, horses,
and attendants. He reached the tank two or three
days before the appointed day. Tents were pitched
in the mango-topes adjoining the tank for the
accommodation of men and cattle ; and the
minister's son always kept his eyes fixed on the
tank. The sun of the appointed day sank below
the horizon ; but the prince and the princess
dwelling beneath the waters made no sign. He
waited two or three days longer ; still the prince
did not make his appearance. What could have
happened to his friend and his beautiful wife ?
Were they dead ? Had another serpent, possibly
the mate of the one that had died, beaten the
prince and the princess to death ? Had they
somehow lost the serpent-jewel .? Or had they
been captured when they were once on a visit to
the upper world ? Such were the reflections of
the minister's son. He was overwhelmed with

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

grief. Ever since he had come to the tank he had
heard at regular intervals the sound of music
coming from the city which was not distant. He
inquired of passers-by what that music meant. He
was told that the Rajah's son was about to be
married to some wonderful young lady, who had
come out of the waters of that very tank on
the bank of which he was now seated, and
that the marriage ceremony was to be per-
formed on the day following the next. The
minister's son immediately concluded that the
wonderful young lady of the lake that was to
be married was none other than the wife of his
friend, the king's son. He resolved therefore to
go into the city to learn the details of the affair,
and try if possible to rescue the princess. He told
the attendants to go home, taking with them
the elephants and the horses ; and he himself went
to the city, and took up his abode in the house of
a Brahman.

After he had rested and taken his dinner, the
minister's son asked the Brahman what the
meaning was of the music that was heard in the
city at regular intervals. The Brahman asked,
" From what part of the world have you come
that you have not heard of the wonderful
circumstance that a young lady of heavenly beauty
rose out of the waters of a tank in the suburbs, and
that she is going to be married the day after to-
morrow to the son of our Rajah ? "

Minister's Son. No, I have heard nothing. I
have come from a distant country whither the

II PHAKIR CHAND

story has not reached. Will you kindly tell me
the particulars ?

Brahman. The Rajah's son went out a-
hunting about this time last year. He pitched his
tents close to a tank in the suburbs. One day,
while the Rajah's son was walking near the tank,
he saw a young woman, or rather goddess, of
uncommon beauty rise from the waters of the
tank. She gazed about for a minute or two and
disappeared. The Rajah's son, however, who had
seen her, was so struck with her heavenly beauty
that he became desperately enamoured of her.
Indeed, so intense was his passion, that his reason
gave way ; and he was carried home hopelessly
mad. The only words he uttered day and night
were — " Now here, now gone ! " The Rajah sent
for all the best physicians of the country for
restoring his son to his reason ; but the physicians
were powerless. At last he caused a proclamation
to be made by beat of drum to the effect that if
any one could cure the Rajah's son, he should
be the Rajah's son-in-law and the owner of
half his kingdom. An old woman, who went
by the name of Phakir's mother, took hold
of the drum, and declared her ability to cure the
Rajah's son. On the tank where the princess had
appeared was raised for Phakir's mother a hut in
which she took up her abode ; and not far from
her hut another hut was erected for the accommoda-
tion of attendants who might be required to help
her. It seems the goddess rose from the waters ;
Phakir's mother seized her with the help of the

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

attendants, and carried her in a palki to the palace.
At the sight of her the Rajah's son was restored to
his senses ; and the marriage would have been
celebrated at that time but for a vow which the
goddess had made that she would not look at the
face of any male person till the lapse of a year.
The year of the vow is now over ; and the music
which you have heard is from the gate of the
Rajah's palace. This, in brief, is the story.

Minister s Son. A truly wonderful story !
And has Phakir's mother, or rather Phakir Chand
himself, been rewarded with the hand of the
Rajah's daughter and with the possession of half
the kingdom ?

Brahman. No, not yet. Phakir has not been
got hold of. He is a half-witted lad, or rather
quite mad. He has been away for more than a
year from his home, and no one knows where he
is. That is his manner ; he stays away for a long
time, suddenly comes home, and again disappears.
I believe his mother expects him soon.

Minister's Son. What like is he } and what
does he do when he returns home ?

Brahman. Why, he is about your height,
though he is somewhat younger than you. He
puts on a small piece of cloth round his waist,
rubs his body with ashes, takes the branch of a
tree in his hand, and, at the door of the hut in
which his mother lives, dances to the tune of
dhoop ! dhoop ! dhoop ! His articulation is very
indistinct ; and when his mother says — " Phakir !
stay with me for some days," he invariably answers

II PHAKIR CHAND

in his usual unintelligible manner, " No, I won't
remain, I won't remain." And when he wishes to
give an affirmative answer, he says, " Hoom,"
which means " Yes.'*

The above conversation with the Brahman
poured a flood of light into the mind of the
minister's son. He saw how matters stood. He
perceived that the princess of the subterranean
palace must have alone ventured out into the tank
by means of the snake-jewel ; that she must have
been captured alone without the king's son ; that the
snake-jewel must be in the possession of Phakir's
mother ; and that his friend, the king's son, must
be alone below the waters without any means of
escape. The desolate and apparently hopeless
state of his friend filled him with unutterable
grief He was in deep musings during most part
of the night. Is it impossible, thought he, to
rescue the king's son from the nether regions .?
What if, by some means or other, I contrive to get
the jewel from the old woman ? And can I not
do it by personating Phakir Chand himself, who is
expected by his mother shortly .? And possibly by
the same means I may be able to rescue the
princess from the Rajah's palace. He resolved to
act the role of Phakir Chand the following day.
In the morning he left the Brahman's house, went
to the outskirts of the city, divested himself of his
usual clothing, put round his waist a short and
narrow piece of cloth which scarcely reached his
knee-joints, rubbed his body well with ashes, took
in his hand a twig which he broke off a tree, and

33 D

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

thus accoutred, presented himself before the door
of the hut of Phakir's mother. He commenced
operations by dancing, in a most violent manner,
to the tune of dhoopl dhoopl dhoopl The dancing
attracted the notice of the old woman, who,
supposing that her son had come, said — " My son
Phakir, are you come ? Come, my darling ; the
gods have at last become propitious to us." The
supposed Phakir Chand uttered the monosyllable
" hoom," and went on dancing in a still more
violent manner than before, waving the twig in
his hand. " This time you must not go away,"
said the old woman, " you must remain with me."
" No, I won't remain, I won't remain," said the
minister's son. " Remain with me, and I'll get
you married to the Rajah's daughter. Will you
marry, Phakir Chand ? " The minister's son
replied — "Hoom, hoom," and danced on like a
madman. " Will you come with me to the
Rajah's house ? I'll show you a princess of
uncommon beauty who has risen from the waters."
" Hoom, hoom," was the answer that issued from
his lips, while his feet tripped it violently to the
sound of dhoop ! dhoop 1 " Do you wish to see a
manik, Phakir, the crest jewel of the serpent, the
treasure of seven kings ? " " Hoom, hoom," was
the reply. The old woman brought out of the
hut the snake-jewel, and put it into the hand of
her supposed son. The minister's son took it, and
carefully wrapped it up in the piece of cloth
round his waist. Phakir's mother, delighted be-
yond measure at the opportune appearance of her

II PHAKIR CHAND

son, went to the Rajah's house, partly to announce
to the Rajah the news of Phakir's appearance, and
partly to show Phakir the princess of the waters.
The supposed Phakir and his mother found ready
access to the Rajah's palace, for the old woman
had, since the capture of the princess, become the
most important person in the kingdom. She took
him into the room where the princess was, and
introduced him to her. It is superfluous to
remark that the princess was by no means pleased
with the company of a madcap, who was in a
state of semi-nudity, whose body was rubbed with
ashes, and who was ever and anon dancing in a
wild manner. At sunset the old woman proposed
to her son that they should leave the palace and
go to their own house. But the supposed Phakir
Chand refused to comply with the request ; he
said he would stay there that night. His mother
tried to persuade him to return with her, but he
persisted in his determination. He said he would
remain with the princess. Phakir's mother there-
fore went away, after giving instructions to the
guards and attendants to take care of her son.

When all in the palace had retired to rest, the
supposed Phakir, coming towards the princess, said
in his own usual voice — " Princess ! do you not
recognise me ? I am the minister's son, the friend of
your princely husband." The princess, astonished
at the announcement, said — "Who? The minister's
son ? Oh, my husband's best friend, do rescue me
from this terrible captivity, from this worse than
death. O fate ! it is by my own fault that I am

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

reduced to this wretched state. Oh, rescue me,
rescue me, thou best of friends ! " She then burst
into tears. The minister's son said, " Do not be
disconsolate. I will try my best to rescue you this
very night ; only you must do whatever I tell
you." " I will do anything you tell me, minister's
son ; anything you tell me." After this the sup-
posed Phakir left the room, and passed through
the courtyard of the palace. Some of the guards
challenged him, to whom he replied, " Hoom,
hoom ; I will just go out for a minute and
again come in presently." They understood that
it was the madcap Phakir. True to his word he
did come back shortly, and went to the princess.
An hour afterwards he again went out and was
again challenged, on which he made the same
reply as at the first time. The guards who
challenged him began to mutter between their
teeth — " This madcap of a Phakir will, we suppose,
go out and come in all night. Let the fellow
alone ; let him do what he likes. Who can be
sitting up all night for him .? " The minister's son
was going out and coming in with the view of
accustoming the guards to his constant egress and
ingress, and also of watching for a favourable
opportunity to escape with the princess. About
three o'clock in the morning the minister's son
again passed through the courtyard, but this time
no one challenged him, as all the guards had fallen
asleep. Overjoyed at the auspicious circumstance,
he went to the princess. " Now, princess, is the
time for escape. The guards are all asleep.

II PHAKIR CHAND

Mount on my back, and tie the locks of your hair
round my neck, and keep tight hold of me." The
princess did as she was told. He passed un-
challenged through the courtyard with the lovely
burden on his back, passed out of the gate of the
palace — no one challenging him, passed on to the
outskirts of the city, and reached the tank from
which the princess had risen. The princess stood
on her legs, rejoicing at her escape, and at the same
time trembling. The minister's son untied the
snake-jewel from his waist-cloth, and descending
into the waters, both he and she found their way
to the subterranean palace. The reception which
the prince in the subaqueous palace gave to his
wife and his friend may be easily imagined. He
had nearly died of grief; but now he suffered a
resurrection. The three were now mad with joy.
During the three days that they remained in the
palace they again and again told the story of the
egress of the princess into the upper world, of her
seizure, of her captivity in the palace, of the pre-
parations for marriage, of the old woman, of the
minister's son personating Phakir Chand, and of
the successful deliverance. It is unnecessary to
add that the prince and the princess expressed their
gratitude to the minister's son in the warmest
terms, declared him to be their best and greatest
friend, and vowed to abide always, till the day of
their death, by his advice, and to follow his counsel.
Being resolved to return to their native country,
the king's son, the minister's son, and the princess
left the subterranean palace, and, lighted in the

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

passage by the snake-jewel, made their way good
to the upper world. As they had neither elephants
nor horses, they were under the necessity of
travelling on foot ; and though this mode of
travelling was troublesome to both the king's son
and the minister's son, as they were bred in the
lap of luxury, it was infinitely more troublesome
to the princess, as the stones of the rough road

" Wounded the invisible
Palms of her tender feet wherever they fell ^

When her feet became very sore, the king's son
sometimes took her up on his broad shoulders, on
which she sat astride ; but the load, however
lovely, was too heavy to be carried any great
distance. She therefore, for the most part, travelled
on foot.

One evening they bivouacked beneath a tree,
as no human habitations were visible. The
minister's son said to the prince and princess, "Both
of you go to sleep, and I will keep watch in order
to prevent any danger." The royal couple were
soon locked in the arms of sleep. The faithful
son of the minister did not sleep, but sat up
watching. It so happened that on that tree swung
the nest of the two immortal birds, Bihangama and
Bihangami, who were not only endowed with the
power of human speech, but who could see into
the future. To the no little astonishment of the
minister's son the two prophetical birds joined in
the following conversation : —

II PHAKIR CHAND

Bihangama. The minister's son has already
risked his own life for the safety of his friend, the
king's son ; but he will find it difficult to save the
prince at last.

Bihangami. Why so ?

Bihangama. Many dangers await the king's
son. The prince's father, when he hears of the
approach of his son, will send for him an elephant,
some horses, and attendants. When the king's
son rides on the elephant he will fall down and die.

Bihangami. But suppose some one prevents
the king's son from riding on the elephant, and
makes him ride on horseback, will he not in that
case be saved ?

Bihangama. Yes, he will in that case escape
that danger, but a fresh danger awaits him. When
the king's son is in sight of his father's palace, and
when he is in the act of passing through its lion-
gate, the lion-gate will fall upon him and crush
him to death.

Bihangami. But suppose some one destroys the
lion-gate before the king's son goes up to it ; will
not the king's son in that case be saved ?

Bihangama. Yes, in that case he will escape
that particular danger ; but a fresh danger awaits
him. When the king's son reaches the palace and
sits at a feast prepared for him, and when he takes
into his mouth the head of a fish cooked for him,
the head of the fish will stick in his throat and
choke him to death.

Bihangami. But suppose some one sitting at
the feast snatches the head of the fish from the

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

prince's plate, and thus prevents him from putting
it into his mouth, will not the king's son in that
case be saved ?

Bihangama. Yes, in that case he w^ill escape
that particular danger ; but a fresh danger awaits
him. When the prince and princess after dinner
retire into their sleeping apartment, and they lie
together in bed, a terrible cobra will come into
the room and bite the king's son to death.

Bihangami. But suppose some one lying in
wait in the room cut the snake into pieces, will
not the king's son in that case be saved ?

Bihangama. Yes, in that case the life of the
king's son will be saved ; but if the man who kills
the snake repeats to the king's son the conversation
between you and me, that man will be turned into
a marble statue.

Bihangami. But is there no means of restoring
the marble statue to life ?

Bihangama. Yes, the marble statue may be
restored to life if it is washed with the life-blood
of the infant which the princess will give birth to,
immediately after it is ushered into the world.

The conversation of the prophetical birds had
extended thus far when the crows began to caw,
the east put on a reddish hue, and the travellers
beneath the tree bestirred themselves. The con-
versation stopped, but the minister's son had heard
it all.

The prince, the princess, and the minister's son
pursued their journey in the morning ; but they

had not walked many hours when they met a

II PHAKIR CHAND

procession consisting of an elephant, a horse, 2ipalki,
and a hirge number of attendants. These animals
and men had been sent by the king, who had
heard that his son, together with his newly married
wife and his friend the minister's son, were not
far from the capital on their journey homewards.
The elephant, which was richly caparisoned, was
intended for the prince ; the palki^ the framework
of which was silver and was gaudily adorned, was-
meant for the princess ; and the horse for the
minister's son. As the prince was about to mount
on the elephant, the minister's son went up to him
and said — " Allow me to ride on the elephant, and
you please ride on horseback." The prince was
not a little surprised at the coolness of the proposal.
He thought his friend was presuming too much
on the services he had rendered ; he was therefore
nettled, but remembering that his friend had saved
both him and his wife, he said nothing, but quietly
mounted the horse, though his mind became some-
what alienated from him. The procession started,
and after some time came in sight of the palace,
the lion-gate of which had been gaily adorned for
the reception of the prince and the princess. The
minister's son told the prince that the lion-gate
should be broken down before the prince could
enter the palace. The prince was astounded at
the proposal, especially as the minister's son gave
no reasons for so extraordinary a request. His
mind became still more estranged from him ; but
in consideration of the services the minister's son
had rendered, his request was complied with, and

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

the beautiful lion-gate, with its gay decorations,
was broken down.

The party now went into the palace, where
the king gave a warm reception to his son, to his
daughter-in-law, and to the minister's son. When
the story of their adventures was related, the king
and his courtiers expressed great astonishment, and
they all with one voice extolled the sagacity,
prudence, and devotedness of the minister's son.
The ladies of the palace were struck with the
extraordinary beauty of the new-comer ; her com-
plexion was milk and vermilion mixed together ;
her neck was like that of a swan ; her eyes were
like those of a gazelle ; her lips were as red as the
berry bimba ; her cheeks were lovely ; her nose
was straight and high ; her hair reached her
ankles ; her walk was as graceful as that of a
young elephant — such were the terms in which
the connoisseurs of beauty praised the princess
whom destiny had brought into the midst of them.
They sat around her and put her a thousand
questions regarding her parents, regarding the
subterranean palace in which she formerly lived,
and the serpent which had killed all her relatives.
It was now time that the new arrivals should
have their dinner. The dinner was served up in
dishes of gold. All sorts of delicacies were there,
amongst which the most conspicuous was the
large head of a rohita fish placed in a golden cup
near the prince's plate. While they were eating,
the minister's son suddenly snatched the head of
the fish from the prince's plate, and said, " Let me,

"He rushed out of his hiding-place and killed the serpent.

II PHAKIR CHAND

prince, eat this rohitas head." The king's son was
quite indignant. He said nothing, however. The
minister's son perceived that his friend was in a
terrible rage ; but he could not help it, as his
conduct, however strange, was necessary to the
safety of his friend's life ; neither could he clear
himself by stating the reason of his behaviour, as
in that case he himself would be transformed into
a marble statue. The dinner over, the minister's
son expressed his desire to go to his own house.
At other times the king's son would not allow his
friend to go away in that fashion ; but being
shocked at his strange conduct, he readily agreed
to the proposal. The minister's son, however,
had not the slightest notion of going to his own
house ; he was resolved to avert the last peril that
was to threaten the life of his friend. Accordingly,
with a sword in his hand, he stealthily entered the
room in which the prince and the princess were to
sleep that night, and ensconced himself under the
bedstead, which was furnished with mattresses of
down and canopied with mosquito curtains of the
richest silk and gold lace. Soon after dinner the
prince and princess came into the bedroom, and
undressing themselves went to bed. At midnight,
while the royal couple were asleep, the minister's
son perceived a snake of gigantic size enter the
room through one of the water - passages, and
climb up the tester-frame of the bed. He rushed
out of his hiding-place, killed the serpent, cut it
up in pieces, and put the pieces in the dish for
holding betel-leaves and spices. It so happened,

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

however, that as the minister's son was cutting the
serpent into pieces, a drop of blood fell on the
breast of the princess, and the rather as the
mosquito curtains had not been let down. Think-
ing that the drop of blood might injure the fair
princess, he resolved to lick, it up. But as he
regarded it as a great sin to look upon a young
woman lying asleep half naked, he blindfolded
himself with seven-fold cloth, and licked up the
drop of blood. But while he was in the act of
licking it, the princess awoke and screamed, and
her scream roused her husband lying beside her.
The prince seeing the minister's son, who he
thought had gone away to his own house, bending
over the body of his wife, fell into a great rage,
and would have got up and killed him, had not
the minister's son besought him to restrain his
anger, adding — " Friend, I have done this only in
order to save your life." " I do not understand
what you mean," said the prince ; " ever since we
came out of the subterranean palace you have been
behaving in a most extraordinary way. In the
first place, you prevented me from getting upon
the richly caparisoned elephant, though my father,
the king, had purposely sent it for me. I thought,
however, that a sense of the services you had
rendered to me had made you exceedingly vain ; I
therefore let the matter pass, and mounted the
horse. In the second place, you insisted on the
destruction of the fine lion-gate, which my father
had adorned with gay decorations ; and I let that
matter also pass. Then, again, at dinner you

II PHAKIR CHAND

snatched away, in a most shameful manner, the
rohitas head which was on my plate, and devoured
it yourself, thinking, no doubt, that you were
entitled to higher honours than I. You then
pretended that you were going home, for which
I was not at all sorry, as you had made yourself
very disagreeable to me. And now you are
actually in my bedroom, bending over the naked
bosom of my wife. You must have had some evil
design ; and you pretend that you have done this
to save my life. I fancy it was not for saving my
life, but for destroying my wife's chastity." " Oh,
do not harbour such thoughts in your mind against
me. The gods know that I have done all this for
the preservation of your life. You would see the
reasonableness of my conduct throughout if I had
the liberty of stating my reasons." " And why
are you not at liberty .? " asked the prince ; " who
has shut up your mouth ? " " It is destiny that
has shut up my mouth," answered the minister's
son ; " if I were to tell it all, I should be trans-
formed into a marble statue." " You would be
transformed into a marble statue ! " exclaimed the
prince ; " you must take me to be a simpleton to
believe this nonsense." " Do you wish me then,
friend," said the minister's son, " to tell you all ?
You must then make up your mind to see your
friend turned into stone." " Come, out with it,"
said the prince, " or else ycu are a dead man."
The minister's son, in order to clear himself of the
foul accusation brought against him, deemed it his
duty to reveal the secret at the risk of his life.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

He again and again warned the prince not to press
him. But the prince remained inexorable. The
minister's son then went on to say that, while
bivouacking under a lofty tree one night, he had
overheard a conversation between Bihangama and
Bihangami, in which the former predicted all the
dangers that were to threaten the life of the prince.
When the minister's son had related the prediction
concerning the mounting upon the elephant, his
lower parts were turned into stone. He then,
turning to the prince, said, " See, friend, my lower
parts have already turned into stone." " Go on, go
on," said the prince, " with your story." The
minister's son then related the prophecy regarding
the destruction of the lion-gate, when half of his
body was converted into stone. He then related
the prediction regarding the eating of the head
of the fish, when his body up to his neck was
petrified. " Now, friend," said the minister's son,
" the whole of my body, excepting my neck and
head, is petrified ; if I tell the rest, I shall assuredly
become a man of stone. Do you wish me still to
go on ? " "Go on," answered the prince, " go on."
" Very well, 1 will go on to the end," said the
minister's son ; " but in case you repent after 1
have become turned into stone, and wish me to be
restored to life, I will tell you of the manner in
which it may be effected. The princess after a
few months will be delivered of a child ; if im-
mediately after the birth of the infant you kill it
and besmear my marble body with its blood, I
shall be restored to life." He then related the

II PHAKIR CHAND

prediction regarding the serpent in the bedroom ;
and when the last word was on his lips the rest of
his body was turned into stone, and he dropped on
the floor a marble image. The princess jumped
out of bed, opened the vessel for betel-leaves and
spices, and saw there pieces of a serpent. Both
the prince and the princess now became convinced
of the good faith and benevolence of their departed
friend. They went to the marble figure, but it
was lifeless. They set up a loud lamentation ; but
it was to no purpose, for the marble moved not.
They then resolved to keep the marble figure
concealed in a safe place, and to besmear it with
the blood of their first-born child when it should
be ushered into existence.

In process of time the hour of the princess's
travail came on, and she was delivered of a
beautiful boy, the perfect image of his mother.
Both father and mother were struck with the
beauty of their child, and would fain have spared
its life ; but recollecting the vows they had made
on behalf of their best friend, now lying in a
corner of the room a lifeless stone, and the
inestimable services he had rendered to both of
them, they cut the child into two, and besmeared
the marble figure of the minister's son with
its blood. The marble became animated in a
moment. The minister's son stood before the
prince and princess, who became exceedingly glad
to see their old friend again in life. But the
minister's son, who saw the lovely new-born babe
lying in a pool of blood, was overwhelmed with

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

grief. He took up the dead infant, carefully
wrapped it up in a towel, and resolved to get it
restored to life.

The minister's son, intent on the reanimation
of his friend's child, consulted all the physicians
of the country ; but they said that they would
undertake to cure any person of any disease so
long as life was in him, but when life was extinct,
the case was beyond their jurisdiction. The
minister's son at last bethought himself of his
own wife, who was living in a distant town, and
who was a devoted worshipper of the goddess
Kali, who, through his wife's intercession, might
be prevailed upon to give life to the dead child.
He, accordingly, set out on a journey to the town
in which his wife was living in her father's house.
Adjoining that house there was a garden where
upon a tree he hung the dead child wrapped up
in a towel. His wife was overjoyed to see her
husband after so long a time ; but to her surprise
she found that he was very melancholy, that he
spoke very little, and that he was brooding over
something in his mind. She asked the reason of
his melancholy, but he kept quiet. One night
while they were lying together in bed, the wife
got up and opening the door went out. The
husband, who had little sleep any night in con-
sequence of the weight of anxiety regarding the
reanimation of his friend's child, perceiving his
wife go out at that dead hour of night, determined
to follow her without being noticed. She went
to a temple of the goddess Kali, which was at no

II PHAKIR CHAND

great distance from her house. She worshipped
the goddess with flowers and sandal-wood perfume,
and said, " O mother Kali ! have mercy upon me,
and deliver me out of all my troubles." The
goddess replied, " Why, what further grievance
have you .? You long prayed for the return of
your husband, and he has returned ; what aileth
thee now .? " The woman answered, " True, O
Mother, my husband has come to me, but he is
very moody and melancholy, hardly speaks to me,
takes no delight in me, only sits moping in a
corner." To which the goddess rejoined, " Ask
your husband what the reason of his melancholy
is, and let me know it." The minister's son over-
heard the conversation between the goddess and
his wife, but he did not make his appearance ; he
quietly slunk away before his wife and went to
bed. The following day the wife asked her
husband of the cause of his melancholy ; and he
related all the particulars regarding the killing
of the infant child of the prince. Next night
at the same dead hour the wife proceeded
to Kali's temple and mentioned to the goddess
the reason of her husband's melancholy ; on
which the goddess said, " Bring the child here
and I will restore it to life." On the succeed-
ing night the child was produced before the
goddess Kali, and she called it back to life.
Entranced with joy, the minister's son took
up the reanimated child, went as fast as his
legs could carry him to the prince and princess,
and presented to them their child alive and

49 E

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ii

well. They all rejoiced with exceeding great
joy, and lived together happily till the day of
their death.

Thus my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn withereth^ etc.

Ill

THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN

There was a Brahman who had a wife and four
children. He was very poor. With no resources
in the world, he lived chiefly on the benefactions
of the rich. His gains were considerable when
marriages were celebrated or funeral ceremonies
were performed ; but as his parishioners did not
marry every day, neither did they die every day,
he found it difficult to make the two ends meet.
His wife often rebuked him for his inability to
give her adequate support, and his children often
went about naked and hungry. But though poor
he was a good man. He was diligent in his
devotions ; and there was not a single day in his
life in which he did not say his prayers at stated
hours. His tutelary deity was the goddess Durga,
the consort of Siva, the creative Energy of the
Universe. On no day did he either drink water
or taste food till he had written in red ink the
name of Durga at least one hundred and eight
times ; while throughout the day he incessantly
uttered the ejaculation, " O Durga ! O Durga !
have mercy upon me." Whenever he felt anxious

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iii

on account of his poverty and his inability to
support his wife and children, he groaned out —
" Durga ! Durga ! Durga ! "

One day, being very sad, he went to a forest
many miles distant from the village in which he
lived, and indulging his grief wept bitter tears.
He prayed in the following manner : — " O Durga !
O Mother Bhagavati ! wilt thou not make an end
of my misery ? Were I alone in the world, I
should not have been sad on account of poverty ;
but thou hast given me a wife and children. Give
me, O Mother, the means to support them." It
so happened that on that day and on that very
spot the god Siva and his wife Durga were taking
their morning walk. The goddess Durga, on
seeing the Brahman at a distance, said to her divine
husband — " O Lord of Kailas ! do you see that
Brahman ? He is always taking my name on his
lips and offering the prayer that I should deliver
him out of his troubles. Can we not, my lord, do
something for the poor Brahman, oppressed as he
is with the cares of a growing family? We should
give him enough to make him comfortable. As
the poor man and his family have never enough to
eat, I propose that you give him a handi^ which
should yield him an inexhaustible supply of
mudkiy^ The lord of Kailas readily agreed to the
proposal of his divine consort, and by his decree
created on the spot a handi possessing the required
quality. Durga then, calling the Brahman to her,

1 Handi is an earthen pot, generally used in cooking food.
2 Mudki, fried paddy boiled dry in treacle or sugar.

Ill THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN

said, — "O Brahman! I have often thought of
your pitiable case. Your repeated prayers have at
last moved my compassion. Here is a handi for
you. When you turn it upside down and shake it,
it will pour down a never-ceasing shower of the
finest 77iudki^ which will not end till you restore
the handi to its proper position. Yourself, your
wife, and your children can eat as much mudki as
you like, and you can also sell as much as you
like." The Brahman, delighted beyond measure at
obtaining so inestimable a treasure, made obeisance
to the goddess, and, taking the handi in his hand,
proceeded towards his house as fast as his legs
could carry him. But he had not gone many
yards when he thought of testing the efficacy of
the wonderful vessel. Accordingly he turned the
handi upside down and shook it, when, lo, and
behold ! a quantity of the finest mudki he had ever
seen fell to the ground. He tied the sweetmeat
in his sheet and walked on. It was now noon,
and the Brahman was hungry ; but he could not
eat without his ablutions and his prayers. As he
saw in the way an inn, and not far from it a tank,
he purposed to halt there that he might bathe, say
his prayers, and then eat the much-desired mudki.
The Brahman sat at the innkeeper's shop, put the
handi near him, smoked tobacco, besmeared his
body with mustard oil, and before proceeding to
bathe in the adjacent tank gave the handi in charge
to the innkeeper, begging him again and again to
take especial care of it.

When the Brahman went to his bath and his

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iii

devotions, the innkeeper thought it strange that he
should be so careful as to the safety of his earthen
vessel. There must be something valuable in the
handi^ he thought, otherwise why should the
Brahman take so much thought about it ? His
curiosity being excited he opened the handi^ and to
his surprise found that it contained nothing. What
can be the meaning of this \ thought the innkeeper
within himself. Why should the Brahman care
so much for an empty handi} He took up the
vessel, and began to examine it carefully ; and
when, in the course of examination, he turned the
handi upside down, a quantity of the finest mudki
fell from it, and went on falling without inter-
mission. The innkeeper called his v^ife and
children to witness this unexpected stroke of good
fortune. The showers of the sugared fried paddy
were so copious that they filled all the vessels and
jars of the innkeeper. He resolved to appropriate
to himself this precious handi, and accordingly put
in its place another handi of the same size and
make. The ablutions and devotions of the Brahman
being now over, he came to the shop in wet
clothes reciting holy texts of the Vedas. Putting
on dry clothes, he wrote on a sheet of paper the
name of Durga one hundred and eight times in
red ink ; after which he broke his fast on the
mudki his handi had already given him. Thus
refreshed, and being about to resume his journey
homewards, he called for his handi, which the inn-
keeper delivered to him, adding — " There, sir, is
your handi; it is just where you put it; no one

Ill THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN

has touched It." The Brahman, without suspecting
anything, took up the handi and proceeded on his
journey ; and as he walked on, he congratulated
himself on his singular good fortune. " How
agreeably," he thought within himself, " will my
poor wife be surprised ! How greedily the
children will devour the mudki of heaven's own
manufacture ! I shall soon become rich, and lift
up my head with the best of them all." The
pains of travelling were considerably alleviated by
these joyful anticipations. He reached his house,
and calling his wife and children, said — " Look
now at what I have brought. This handi that you
see is an unfailing source of wealth and content-
ment. You will see what a stream of the finest
??2iidki will flow from it when I turn it upside
down." The Brahman's good wife, hearing of
mudki falling from the handi unceasingly, thought
that her husband must have gone mad ; and she
was confirmed in her opinion when she found that
nothing fell from the vessel though it was turned
upside down again and again. Overwhelmed with
grief, the Brahman concluded that the innkeeper
must have played a trick with him ; he must have
stolen the handi Durga had given him, and put a
common one in its stead. He went back the next
day to the innkeeper, and charged him with having
changed his handi. The innkeeper put on a fit of
anger, expressed surprise at the Brahman's impu-
dence in charging him with theft, and drove him
away from his shop.

The Brahman then bethought himself of an

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iii

interview with the goddess Durga who had given
him the handi, and accordingly went to the forest
where he had met her. Siva and Durga again
favoured the Brahman with an interview. Durga
said — " So, you have lost the handi I gave you.
Here is another, take it and make good use of it."
The Brahman, elated with joy, made obeisance to
the divine couple, took up the vessel, and went on
his way. He had not gone far when he turned it
upside down, and shook it in order to see whether
any mudki would fall from it. Horror of horrors !
instead of sweetmeats about a score of demons,
of gigantic size and grim visage, jumped out of
the handi^ and began to belabour the astonished
Brahman with blows, fisticuffs and kicks. He
had the presence of mind to turn up the handi
and to cover it, when the demons forthwith dis-
appeared. He concluded that this new hatidi had
been given him only for the punishment of the
innkeeper. He accordingly went to the innkeeper,
gave him the new handi in charge, begged of him
carefully to keep it till he returned from his
ablutions and prayers. The innkeeper, delighted
with this second godsend, called his wife and
children, and said — "This is another handi brought
here by the same Brahman who brought the handi
of mudki. This time, I hope, it is not mudki but
sandesa} Come, be ready with baskets and vessels,
and ril turn the handi upside down and shake it."
This was no sooner done than scores of fierce
demons started up, who caught hold of the inn-

1 A sort of sweetmeat made of curcis and sugar.
56

"Instead of sweetmeats about a score of demons."

W*. «.>*,, rr^Goai-t

Ill THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN

keeper and his family and belaboured them merci-
lessly. They also began upsetting the shop, and
would have completely destroyed it, if the victims
had not besought the Brahman, who had by this
time returned from his ablutions, to show mercy
to them and send away the terrible demons. The
Brahman acceded to the innkeeper's request, he
dismissed the demons by shutting up the vessel ;
he got the former handi, and with the two handis
went to his native village.

On reaching home the Brahman shut the door
of his house, turned the mudki-handi upside down,
and shook it ; the result was an unceasing stream
of the finest mudki that any confectioner in the
country could produce. The man, his wife, and
their children devoured the sweetmeat to their
hearts' content ; all the available earthen pots and
pans of the house were filled with it ; and the
Brahman resolved the next day to turn confectioner,
to open a shop in his house, and sell mudki. On
the very day the shop was opened, the whole
village came to the Brahman's house to buy the
wonderful mudki. They had never seen such mudki
in their life, it was so sweet, so white, so large, so
luscious ; no confectioner in the village or any
town in the country had ever manufactured any-
thing like it. The reputation of the Brahman's
mudki extended, in a few days, beyond the bounds
of the village, and people came from remote parts
to purchase it. Cartloads of the sweetmeat were
sold every day, and the Brahman in a short time
became very rich. He built a large brick house,

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iii

and lived like a nobleman of the land. Once,
however, his -property was about to go to wreck
and ruin. His children one day by mistake shook
the wrong handi^ when a large number of demons
dropped down and caught hold of the Brahman's
wife and children and were striking them merci-
lessly, when happily the Brahman came into the
house and turned up the handi. In order to
prevent a similar catastrophe in future, the Brahman
shut up the demon-/z^/;^/ in a private room to
which his children had no access.

Pure and uninterrupted prosperity, however, is
not the lot of mortals ; and though the demon-
handi was put aside, what security was there that
an accident might not befall the mudki-handi ?
One day, during the absence of the Brahman and
his wife from the house, the children decided upon
shaking the harrdi ; but as each of them wished to
enjoy the pleasure of shaking it there was a general
struggle to get it, and in the melee the handi fell
to the ground and broke. It is needless to say
that the Brahman, when on reaching home he heard
of the disaster, became inexpressibly sad. The
children were of course well cudgelled, but no
flogging of children could replace the magical
handi. After some days he again went to the
forest, and offered many a prayer for Durga's favour.
At last Siva and Durga again appeared to him, and
heard how the handi had been broken. Durga
gave him another handi^ accompanied with the
following caution — "Brahman, take care of this
handi \ if you again break it or lose it, I'll not give

Ill THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN

you another." The Brahman made obeisance, and
went away to his house at one stretch without
halting anywhere. On reaching home he shut the
door of his house, called his wife to him, turned
the ImmU upside down, and began to shake it.
They were only expecting miidki to drop from it,
but instead ol mudki 2, perennial stream of beautiful
safidesa issued from it. And such sandesa ! No
confectioner of Burra Bazar ever made its like. It
was more the food of gods than of men. The
Brahman forthwith set up a shop for selling sandesa,
the fame of which soon drew crowds of customers
from all parts of the country. At all festivals, at
all marriage feasts, at all funeral celebrations, at all
Pujas, no one bought any other sandesa than the
Brahman's. Every day, and every hour, many jars
of gigantic size, filled with the delicious sweet-
meat, were sent to all parts of the country.

The wealth of the Brahman excited the envy
of the Zemindar of the village, who, having heard
that the sandesa was not manufactured but dropped
from a handi, devised a plan for getting possession
of the miraculous vessel. At the celebration of his
son's marriage he held a great feast, to which were
mvited hundreds of people. As many mountain-
loads of sandesa would be required for the purpose,
the Zemindar proposed that the Brahman should
brmg the magical handi to the house in which the
feast was held. The Brahman at first refused to
take It there ; but as the Zemindar insisted on its
bemg carried to his own house, he reluctantly
consented to take it there. After many Himalayas

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL m

of sandesa had been shaken out, the handi was
taken possession of by the Zemindar, and the
Brahman was insulted and driven out of the house.
The Brahman, without giving vent to anger in the
least, quietly went to his house, and taking the
demon-/z.'7;/^/ in his hand, came back to the door of
the Zemindar's house. He turned the handi upside
down and shook it, on which a hundred demons
started up as from the vasty deep and enacted a
scene which it is impossible to describe. The
hundreds of guests that had been bidden to the
feast were caught hold of by the unearthly visitants
and beaten ; the women were dragged by their hair
from the Zenana and dashed about amongst the
men ; while the big and burly Zemindar was
driven about from room to room like a bale of
cotton. If the demons had been allowed to do
their will only for a few minutes longer, all the men
would have been killed, and the very house razed
to the ground. The Zemindar fell prostrate at
the feet of the Brahman and begged for mercy.
Mercy was shown him, and the demons were
removed. After that the Brahman was no more
disturbed by the Zemindar or by any one else ;
and he lived many years in great happiness and
enjoyment.

Thus my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn withereth, etc.

IV
THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

There was a poor half-witted Brahman who had a
wife but no children. It was only with difficulty-
he could supply the wants of himself and his wife.
And the worst of it was that he was rather lazily
inclined. He was averse to taking long journeys,
otherwise he might always have had enough, in the
shape of presents from rich men, to enable him and
his wife to live comfortably. There was at that
time a king in a neighbouring country who was
celebrating the funeral obsequies of his mother
with great pomp. Brahmans and beggars were
going from different parts with the expectation
of receiving rich presents. Our Brahman was
requested by his wife to seize this opportunity and
get a little money ; but his constitutional indolence
stood in the way. The woman, however, gave her
husband no rest till she extorted from him the
promise that he would go. The good woman,
accordingly, cut down a plantain tree and burnt it
to ashes, with which ashes she cleaned the clothes of
her husband, and made them as white as any fuller

could make them. She did this because her

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

husband was going to the palace of a great king, who
could not be approached by men clothed in dirty
rags ; besides, as a Brahman, he was bound to
appear neat and clean. The Brahman at last one
morning left his house for the palace of the great
king. As he was somewhat imbecile, he did not
inquire of any one which road he should take ;
but he went on and on, and proceeded whithersoever
his two eyes directed him. He was of course not
on the right road, indeed he had reached a region
where he did not meet with a single human being
for many miles, and where he saw sights which he
had never seen in his life. He saw hillocks of
cowris (shells used as money) on the roadside : he
had not proceeded far from them when he saw
hillocks of pice, then successively hillocks of four-
anna pieces,hillocks of eight-anna pieces,and hillocks
of rupees. To the infinite surprise of the poor
Brahman, these hillocks of shining silver coins were
succeeded by a large hill of burnished gold-mohurs,
which were all as bright as if they had been just
issued from the mint. Close to this hill of gold-
mohurs was a large house which seemed to be the
palace of a powerful and rich king, at the door of
which stood a lady of exquisite beauty. The lady,
seeing the Brahman, said, ' Come, my beloved
husband ; you married me when I was young, and
you never came once after our marriage, though I
have been daily expecting you. Blessed be this
day which has made me see the face of my husband.
Come, my sweet, come in, wash your feet and rest

after the fatigues of your journey ; eat and drink,

" At the door of which stood a lady of exquisite beauty.

X:..

WA,r< ^

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

and after that we shall make ourselves merry."
The Brahman w^as astonished beyond measure. He
had no recollection of having been married in
early youth to any other woman than the woman
who was now keeping house with him. But being
a Kulin Brahman, he thought it was quite possible
that his father had got him married when he was a
little child, though the fact had made no impression
on his mind. But whether he remembered it or
not, the fact was certain, for the woman declared
that she was his wedded wife, — and such a wife !
as beautiful as the goddesses of Indra's heaven, and
no doubt as wealthy as she was beautiful. While
these thoughts were passing through the Brahman's
mind, the lady said again, " Are you doubting in
your mind whether I am your wife .? Is it possible
that all recollection of that happy event has been
effaced from your mind — all the pomp and circum-
stance of our nuptials .? Come in, beloved ; this is
your own house, for whatever is mine is thine."
The Brahman succumbed to the loving entreaties of
the fair lady, and went into the house. The house
was not an ordinary one — it was a magnificent
palace, all the apartments being large and lofty and
richly furnished. But one thing surprised the
Brahman very much, and that was that there was
no other person in the house besides the lady
herself. He could not account for so singular a
phenomenon ; neither could he explain how it was
that he did not meet with any human being in his
morning and evening walks. The fact was that
the lady was not a human being. She was a

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

Rakshasi} She had eaten up the king, the queen,
and all the members of the royal family, and
gradually all his subjects. This was the reason
why human beings were not seen in those parts.

The Rakshasi and the Brahman lived together
for about a week, when the former said to the
latter, " I am very anxious to see my sister, your
other wife. You must go and fetch her, and we
shall all live together happily in this large and
beautiful house. You must go early to-morrow,
and I will give you clothes and jewels for her."
Next morning the Brahman, furnished with fine
clothes and costly ornaments, set out for his home.
The poor woman was in great distress ; all the
Brahmans and Pandits that had been to the funeral
ceremony of the king's mother had returned home
loaded with largesses ; but her husband had not
returned, — and no one could give any news of him,
for no one had seen him there. The woman
therefore concluded that he must have been
murdered on the road by highwaymen. She was
in this terrible suspense, when one day she heard
a rumour in the village that her husband was seen
coming home with fine clothes and costly jewels
for his wife. And sure enough the Brahman soon
appeared with his valuable load. On seeing his
wife the Brahman thus accosted her : — " Come
with me, my dearest wife ; I have found my first
wife. She lives in a stately palace, near w^hich are

1 Rakshasas and Rakshasis (male and female) arc in Hindu mythology huge
giants and giantesses, or rather demons. The word means literally ranjo-eaters ;
they were probably the chiefs of the aborigines whom the Aryans overthrew
on their first settlement in the country.

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

hillocks of rupees and a large hill of gold-mohurs.
Why should you pine away in wretchedness and
misery in this horrible place ? Come with me to
the house of my first wife, and we shall all live
together happily." When the woman heard her
husband speak of his first wife, of hillocks of
rupees and of a hill of gold-mohurs, she thought
in her mind that her half-witted good man had
become quite mad ; but when she saw the ex-
quisitely beautiful silks and satins and the ornaments
set with diamonds and precious stones, which only
queens and princesses were in the habit of putting
on, she concluded in her mind that her poor
husband had fallen into the meshes of a Rakshasi.
The Brahman, however, insisted on his wife's
going with him, and declared that if she did not
come she was at liberty to pine away in poverty,
but that for himself he meant to return forthwith
to his first and rich wife. The good woman, after
a great deal of altercation with her husband,
resolved to go with him and judge for herself how
matters stood. They set out accordingly the next
morning, and went by the same road on which the
Brahman had travelled. The woman was not a
little surprised to see hillocks of cowris^ of pice, of
eight-anna pieces, of rupees, and last of all a lofty
hill of gold-mohurs. She saw also an exceedingly
beautiful lady coming out of the palace hard by,
and hastening towards her. The lady fell on the
neck of the Brahman woman, wept tears of joy,
and said, " Welcome, beloved sister ! this is the
happiest day of my life ! I have seen the face of

65 F

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

my dearest sister ! " The party then entered the
palace.

What with the stately mansion in which he
was lodged, with the most delectable provisions
which seemed to rise as if by enchantment, what
with the caresses and endearments of his two wives,
the one human and the other demoniac, who vied
with each other in making him happy and com-
fortable, the Brahman had a jolly time of it. He
was steeped as it were in an ocean of enjoyment.
Some fifteen or sixteen years were spent by the
Brahman in this state of Elysian pleasure, during
which period his two wives presented him with
two sons. The Rakshasi's son, who was the elder,
and who looked more like a god than a human
being, w^as named Sahasra Dal, literally the
Thousand-Branched ; and the son of the Brahman
woman, who was a year younger, was named
Champa Dal, that is, branch of a champaka tree.
The two boys loved each other dearly. They
were both sent to a school which was several miles
distant, to which they used every day to go riding
on two little ponies of extraordinary fleetness.

The Brahman woman had all along suspected
from a thousand little circumstances that her sister-
in-law was not a human being but a Rakshasi ;
but her suspicion had not yet ripened into certainty,
for the Rakshasi exercised great self-restraint on
herself, and never did anything which human
beings did not do. But the demoniac nature, like
murder, will out. The Brahman having nothing

to do, in order to pass his time had recourse to

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

hunting. The first day he returned from the hunt,
he had bagged an antelope. The antelope was laid
in the courtyard of the palace. At the sight of the
antelope the mouth of the raw-eating Rakshasi
began to water. Before the animal was dressed
for the kitchen, she took it away into a room, and
began devouring it. The Brahman woman, who
was watching the whole scene from a secret place,
saw her Rakshasi sister tear off a leg of the antelope,
and opening her tremendous jaws, which seemed to
her imagination to extend from earth to heaven,
swallow it up. In this manner the body and
other limbs of the antelope were devoured, till
only a little bit of the meat was kept for the
kitchen. The second day another antelope was
bagged, and the third day another ; and the
Rakshasi, unable to restrain her appetite for raw
flesh, devoured these two as she had devoured the
first. On the third day the Brahman woman ex-
pressed to the Rakshasi her surprise at the disap-
pearance of nearly the whole of the antelope with
the exception of a little bit. The Rakshasi looked
fierce and said, " Do I eat raw flesh ? " To which
the Brahman woman replied, " Perhaps you do,
for aught 1 know to the contrary." The Rakshasi,
knowing herself to be discovered, looked fiercer
than before, and vowed revenge. The Brahman
woman concluded in her mind that the doom of
herself, of her husband, and of her son was sealed.
She spent a miserable night, believing that next
day she would be killed and eaten up, and that her
husband and son would share the same fate. Early

67 ^

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

next morning, before her son Champa Dal went to
school, she gave him in a small golden vessel a
little quantity of her own breast milk, and told
him to be constantly watching its colour. " Should
you," she said, " see the milk get a little red, then
conclude that your father has been killed ; and
should you see it grow still redder, then conclude
that I am killed : when you see this, gallop away
for your life as fast as your horse can carry you, for
if you do not, you also will be devoured."

The Rakshasi on getting up from bed — and
she had prevented the Brahman overnight from
having any communication with his wife — proposed
that she and the Brahman should go to bathe in
the river, which was at some distance. She would
take no denial ; the Brahman had therefore to
follow her as meekly as a lamb. The Brahman
woman at once saw from the proposal that ruin
was impending ; but it was beyond her power to
avert the catastrophe. The Rakshasi, on the river-
side, assuming her own proper gigantic dimensions,
took hold of the ill-fated Brahman, tore him limb
by limb, and devoured him up. She then ran to
her house, and seized the Brahman woman, and
put her into her capacious stomach, clothes, hair
and all. Young Champa Dal, who, agreeably to
his mother's instructions, was diligently watching
the milk in the small golden vessel, was horror-
struck to find the milk redden a little. He set up
a cry and said that his father was killed ; a few
minutes after, finding the milk become completely

red, he cried yet louder, and rushing to his pony,

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

mounted it. His half-brother, Sahasra Dal, sur-
prised at Champa Dai's conduct, said, " Where are
you going, Champa ? Why are you crying ? Let
me accompany you." " Oh ! do not come to me.
Your mother has devoured my father and mother ;
don't you come and devour me." "I will not
devour you; I'll save you." Scarcely had he
uttered these words and galloped away after
Champa Dal, when he saw his mother in her own
Rakshasi form appearing at a distance, and de-
mandmg that Champa Dal should come to her.
He said, " I will come to you, not Champa." So
saying, he went to his mother, and with his sword,
which he always wore as a young prince, cut off
her head.

Champa Dal had, in the meantime, galloped
off a good distance, as he was running for his life •
but Sahasra Dal, by pricking his horse repeatedly'
soon overtook him, and told him that his mother
was no more. This was small consolation to
Champa Dal, as the Rakshasi, before being killed
had devoured both his father and mother ; still he
could not but feel that Sahasra Dai's friendship was
sincere. They both rode fast, and as their horses
were of the breed oi pakshirajes (literdly, kings of
birds), they travelled over hundreds of miles. An
hour or two before sundown they descried a village
to which they made up, and became guests in the
house of one of its most respectable inhabitants.
The two friends found the members of that
respectable family in deep gloom. Evidently
there was something agitating them very much.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

Some of them held private consultations, and
others were weeping. The eldest lady of the
house, the mother of its head, said aloud, " Let
me go, as I am the eldest. I have lived long
enough ; at the utmost my life would be cut short
only by a year or two." The youngest member
of the house, who was a little girl, said, " Let me
go, as I am young and useless to the family ; if I
die I shall not be missed." The head of the
house, the son of the old lady, said, " I am the head
and representative of the family ; it is but reason-
able that I should give up my life." His younger
brother said, " You are the main prop and pillar of
the family ; if you go the whole family is ruined.
It is not reasonable that you should go ; let me
go, as I shall not be much missed." The two
strangers listened to all this conversation with no
little curiosity. They wondered what it all meant.
Sahasra Dal at last, at the risk of being thought
meddlesome, ventured to ask the head of the house
the subject of their consultations, and the reason
of the deep misery but too visible in their
countenances and words. The head of the house
gave the following answer : " Know then, worthy
guests, that this part of the country is infested by
a terrible Rakshasi, who has depopulated all the
regions round. This town, too, would have been
depopulated, but that our king became a suppliant
before the Rakshasi, and begged her to show
mercy to us his subjects. The Rakshasi replied,
' I will consent to show mercy to you and to your

subjects only on this condition, that you every

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

night put a human being, either male or female,
in a certain temple for me to feast upon. If I get
a human being every night I will rest satisfied,
and not commit any further depredations on your
subjects.' Our king had no other alternative than
to agree to this condition, for what human beings
can ever hope to contend against a Rakshasi ?
From that day the king made it a rule that every
family in the town should in its turn send one of
its members to the temple as a victim to appease
the wrath and to satisfy the hunger of the terrible
Rakshasi. All the families in this neighbourhood
have had their turn, and this night it is the turn
for one of us to devote himself to destruction.
We are therefore discussing who should go. You
must now perceive the cause of our distress."
The two friends consulted together for a few
minutes, and at the conclusion of their consulta-
tions, Sahasra Dal, who was the spokesman of the
party, said, " Most worthy host, do not any longer
be sad : as you have been very kind to us, we
have resolved to requite your hospitality by
ourselves going to the temple and becoming the
food of the Rakshasi. We go as your repre-
sentatives." The whole family protested against
the proposal. They declared that guests were like
gods, and that it was the duty of the host to
endure all sorts of privation for the comfort of the
guest, and not the duty of the guest to suffer for the
host. But the two strangers insisted on standing
proxy to the family, who, after a great deal of yea
and nay, at last consented to the arrangement.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

Immediately after candle-light, Sahasra Dal and
Champa Dal, with their two horses, installed them-
selves in the temple, and shut the door. Sahasra
told his brother to go to sleep, as he himself was
determined to sit up the whole night and watch
against the coming of the terrible Rakshasi.
Champa was soon in a fine sleep, while Sahasra
lay awake. Nothing happened during the early
hours of the night, but no sooner had the gong of
the king's palace announced the dead hour of mid-
night than Sahasra heard the sound as of a rushing
tempest, and immediately concluded, from his
knowledge of Rakshasas, that the Rakshasi was
nigh. A thundering knock was heard at the door,
accompanied with the following words : —

** How, mow, khow !
A human being I smell ;
Who watches inside f "

To this question Sahasra Dal made the follow-
ing reply : —

" Sahasra Dal watcheth,
Champa Dal watcheth.
Two winged horses watch^

On hearing this answer the Rakshasi turned
away with a groan, knowing that Sahasra Dal had
Rakshasa blood in his veins. An hour after, the
Rakshasi returned, thundered at the door, and
called out —

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

*' How, mow, khow !
A human being I smell ;
IVho watcheth inside ? "

Sahasra Dal again replied —

Sahasra Dal watcheth,
Champa Dal watcheth.
Two winged horses watch.

The Rakshasi again groaned and went away.
At two o'clock and at three o'clock the Rakshasi
again and again made her appearance, and made
the usual inquiry, and obtaining the same answer,
went away with a groan. After three o'clock,
however, Sahasra Dal felt very sleepy : he could
not any longer keep awake. He therefore roused
Champa, told him to watch, and strictly enjoined
upon him, in reply to the query of the Rakshasi,
to mention Sahasra's name first. With these in-
structions he went to sleep. At four o'clock the
Rakshasi again made her appearance, thundered
at the door, and said —

" How, mow, khow !
A human being I smell ;
Who watches inside ? "

As Champa Dal was in a terrible fright, he
forgot the instructions of his brother for the
moment, and answered —

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

" Champa Dal watcheth^
Sahasra Dal watcheth.
Two winged horses watchT

On hearing this reply the Rakshasi uttered a
shout of exultation, laughed such a laugh as only
demons can, and with a dreadful noise broke open
the door. The noise roused Sahasra, who in a
moment sprung to his feet, and with his sword,
which was as supple as a palm-leaf, cut off the
head of the Rakshasi. The huge mountain of a
body fell to the ground, making a great noise, and
lay covering many an acre. Sahasra Dal kept the
severed head of the Rakshasi near him, and went to
sleep. Early in the morning some wood-cutters,
who were passing near the temple, saw the huge
body on the ground. They could not from a
distance make out what it was, but on coming
near they knew that it was the carcase of the
terrible Rakshasi, who had by her voracity nearly
depopulated the country. Remembering the pro-
mise made by the king that the killer of the
Rakshasi should be rewarded by the hand of his
daughter and with a share of the kingdom, each of
the wood- cutters, seeing no claimant at hand,
thought of obtaining the reward. Accordingly
each of them cut off a part of a limb of the huge
carcase, went to the king, and represented himself
to be the destroyer of the great raw-eater, and
claimed the reward. The king, in order to find
out the real hero and deliverer, inquired of his
minister the name of the family whose turn it was

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

on the preceding night to ofFer a victim to the
Rakshasi. The head of that family, on being
brought before the king, related hov^ two youth-
ful travellers, who were guests in his house,
volunteered to go into the temple in the room of a
member of his family. The door of the temple
was broken open ; Sahasra Dal and Champa Dai
and their horses were found all safe ; and the head
of the Rakshasi, which was with them, proved
beyond the shadow of a doubt that they had killed
the monster. The king kept his word. He gave
his daughter in marriage to Sahasra Dal and the
sovereignty of half his dominions. Champa Dal
remained with his friend in the king's palace, and
rejoiced in his prosperity.

Sahasra Dal and Champa Dal lived together
happily for some time, when a misunderstanding
arose between them in this wise. There was in
the service of the queen-mother a certain maid-
servant who was the most useful domestic in the
palace. There was nothing which she could not
put her hands to and perform. She had uncommon
strength for a woman ; neither was her intelligence
of a mean order. She was a woman of immense
activity and energy ; and if she were absent one
day from the palace, the affairs of the zenana
would be in perfect disorder. Hence her services
were highly valued by the queen-mother and all
the ladies of the palace. But this woman was not
a woman ; she was a Rakshasi, who had put on
the appearance of a woman to serve some purposes
of her own, and then taken service in the royal

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

household. At night, when every one in the
palace was asleep, she used to assume her own real
form, and go about in quest of food, for the
quantity of food that is sufficient for either man or
woman was not sufficient for a Rakshasi. Now
Champa Dal, having no wife, was in the habit of
sleeping outside the zenana, and not far from the
outer gate of the palace. He had noticed her
going about on the premises and devouring sundry
goats and sheep, horses and elephants. The maid-
servant, finding that Champa Dal was in the way
of her supper, determined to get rid of him. She
accordingly went one day to the queen- mother,
and said, " Queen-mother ! I am unable any longer
to work in the palace." "Why? what is the
matter, Dasi ? ^ How can I get on without you ?
Tell me your reasons. What ails you ? " " Why,"
said the woman, " nowadays it is impossible for a
poor woman like me to preserve my honour in the
palace. There is that Champa Dal, the friend of
your son-in-law ; he always cracks indecent jokes
with me. It is better for me to beg for my rice
than to lose my honour. If Champa Dal remains
in the palace I must go away." As the maid-
servant was an absolute necessity in the palace, the
queen-mother resolved to sacrifice Champa Dal to
her. She therefore told Sahasra Dal that Champa
Dal was a bad man, that his character was loose,
and that therefore he must leave the palace.
Sahasra Dal earnestly pleaded on behalf of his
friend, but in vain ; the queen-mother had made

^ Dasi is a general name for all maid-servants.
76

wa«.»vici<. GoBt-e:

" In a trice she woke up, sat up in her bed, and eyeing
the stranger, inquired who he was."

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

up her mind to drive him out of the palace.
Sahasra Dal had not the courage to speak personally
to his friend on the subject ; he therefore v^^rote a
letter to him, in which he simply said that for
certain reasons Champa must leave the palace
immediately. The letter was put in his room after
he had gone to bathe. On reading the letter
Champa Dal, exceedingly grieved, mounted his
fleet horse and left the palace.

As Champa's horse was uncommonly fleet, in
a few hours he traversed thousands of miles, and
at last found himself at the gateway of what seemed
a magnificent palace. Dismounting from his horse,
he entered the house, where he did not meet with
a single creature. He went from apartment to
apartment, but though they were all richly fur-
nished he did not see a single human being. At
last, in one of the side rooms, he found a young
lady of heavenly beauty lying down on a splendid
bedstead. She was asleep. Champa Dal looked
upon the sleeping beauty with rapture — he had
not seen any woman so beautiful. Upon the bed,
near the head of the young lady, were two sticks,
one of silver and the other of gold. Champa took
the silver stick into his hand, and touched with it
the body of the lady ; but no change was per-
ceptible. He then took up the gold stick and laid
it upon the lady, when in a trice she woke up, sat
in her bed, and eyeing the stranger, inquired who
he was. Champa Dal briefly told his story. The
young lady, or rather princess — for she was nothing
less — said, " Unhappy man ! why have you come

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

here ? This is the country of Rakshasas, and in
this house and round about there live no less than
seven hundred Rakshasas. They all go away to
the other side of the ocean every morning in search
of provisions ; and they all return every evening
before dusk. My father v^^as formerly king in
these regions, and had millions of subjects, w^ho
lived in flourishing towns and cities. But some
years ago the invasion of the Rakshasas took place,
and they devoured all his subjects, and himself and
my mother, and my brothers and sisters. They
devoured also all the cattle of the country. There
is no living human being in these regions excepting
myself ; and I too should long ago have been
devoured had not an old Rakshasi, conceiving
strange affection for me, prevented the other
Rakshasas from eating me up. You see those
sticks of silver and gold ; the old Rakshasi, when
she goes away in the morning, kills me with the
silver stick, and on her return in the evening
re-animates me with the gold stick. I do not
know how to advise you ; if the Rakshasas see
you, you are a dead man." Then they both talked
to each other in a very affectionate manner, and
laid their heads together to devise if possible some
means of escape from the hands of the Rakshasas.
The hour of the return of the seven hundred raw-
eaters was fast approaching ; and Keshavati — for
that was the name of the princess, so called from
the abundance of her hair — told Champa to hide
himself in the heaps of the sacred trefoil which
were lying in the temple of Siva in the central

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

part of the palace. Before Champa went to his
place of concealment, he touched Keshavati with
the silver stick, on which she instantly died.

Shortly after sunset Champa Dal heard from
beneath the heaps of the sacred trefoil the sound
as of a mighty rushing wind. Presently he heard
terrible noises in the palace. The Rakshasas had
come home from cruising, after having filled their
stomachs, each one, with sundry goats, sheep, cows,
horses, buffaloes, and elephants. The old Rakshasi,
of whom we have already spoken, came to Kesha-
vati's room, roused her by touching her body with
the gold stick, and said —

" Hye, mye^ khye !
A human being I smell.''

On which Keshavati said, " I am the only human
being here ; eat me if you like." To which the
raw-eater replied, " Let me eat up your enemies ;
why should I eat you ? " She laid herself down
on the ground, as long and as high as the Vindhya
Hills, and presently fell asleep. The other Rak-
shasas and Rakshasis also soon fell asleep, being all
tired out on account of their gigantic labours in
the day. Keshavati also composed herself to sleep ;
while Champa, not daring to come out of the
heaps of leaves, tried his best to court the god of
repose. At daybreak all the raw - eaters, seven
hundred in number, got up and went as usual to
their hunting and predatory excursions, and along
with them went the old Rakshasi, after touching

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

Keshavati with the silver stick. When Champa
Dal saw that the coast was clear, he came out of
the temple, walked into Keshavati's room, and
touched her with the gold stick, on which she
woke up. They sauntered about in the gardens,
enjoying the cool breeze of the morning ; they
bathed in a lucid tank which was in the grounds ;
they ate and drank, and spent the day in sweet
converse. They concocted a plan for their deliver-
ance. They settled that Keshavati should ask the
old Rakshasi on what the life of a Rakshasa
depended, and when the secret should be made
known they would adopt measures accordingly. As
on the preceding evening, Champa, after touching
his fair friend with the silver stick, took refuge in
the temple beneath the heaps of the sacred trefoil.
At dusk the Rakshasas as usual came home ; and
the old Rakshasi, rousing her pet, said —

" Hye^ ffiye, khye !
A human being I smell.'^

Keshavati answered, " What other human being is

here excepting myself? Eat me up, if you like."

" Why should I eat you, my darling ? Let me eat

up all your enemies." Then she laid down on the

ground her huge body, which looked like a part

of the Himalaya mountains. Keshavati, with a

phial of heated mustard oil, went towards the feet

of the Rakshasi, and said, " Mother, your feet are

sore with walking ; let me rub them with oil." So

saying, she began to rub with oil the Rakshasi's

feet ; and while she was in the act of doing so, a

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

few tear-drops from her eyes fell on the monster's
leg. The Rakshasi smacked the tear-drops with
her lips, and finding the taste briny, said, " Why
are you weeping, darling ? What aileth thee ? "
To which the princess replied, "Mother, I am
weeping because you are old, and when you die
I shall certainly be devoured by one of the Rak-
shasas." " When I die ! Know, foolish girl, that
we Rakshasas never die. We are not naturally
immortal, but our life depends on a secret which
no human being can unravel. Let me tell you
v^^hat It is that you may be comforted. You know
yonder tank ; there is in the middle of it a Sphatika-
sthamhha,' on the top of which in deep waters are
two bees. If any human being can dive into
the waters, and bring up to land the two bees from
the pillar in one breath, and destroy them so that
not a drop of their blood falls to the ground, then
WQ Rakshasas shall certainly die ; but if a single
drop of blood falls to the ground, then from it will
start up a thousand Rakshasas. But what human
being will find out this secret, or, finding it, will
be able to achieve the feat ? You need not, there-
fore, darling, be sad ; I am practically immortal "
Keshavati treasured up the secret in her memory
and went to sleep.

Early next morning the Rakshasas as usual
went away ; Champa came out of his hiding-place
roused Keshavati, and fell a-talking. The princess
told him the secret she had learnt from the
Rakshasi. Champa immediately made prepara-

1 Sphatika is crystal, and sthambha pillar

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

tions for accomplishing the mighty deed. He
brought to the side of the tank a knife and a
quantity of ashes. He disrobed himself, put a
drop or two of mustard oil into each of his ears to
prevent water from entering in, and dived into the
waters. In a moment he got to the top of the
crystal pillar in the middle of the tank, caught
hold of the two bees he found there, and came up
in one breath. Taking the knife, he cut up the
bees over the ashes, a drop or two of the blood fell,
not on the ground, but on the ashes. When
Champa caught hold of the bees, a terrible scream
was heard at a distance. This was the wailing of
the Rakshasas, who were all running home to
prevent the bees from being killed ; but before
they could reach the palace, the bees had perished.
The moment the bees were killed, all the Rak-
shasas died, and their carcases fell on the very
spot on which they were standing. Champa and
the princess afterwards found that the gateway of
the palace was blocked up by the huge carcases of
the Rakshasas — some of them having nearly suc-
ceeded in getting to the palace. In this manner
was effected the destruction of the seven hundred
Rakshasas.

After the destruction of the seven hundred
raw-eating monsters, Champa Dal and Keshavati
got married together by the exchange of garlands
of flowers. The princess, who had never been out
of the house, naturally expressed a desire to see
the outer world. They used every day to take
long walks both morning and evening, and as a

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

large river w^as hard by Keshavati wished to bathe
in it. The first day they went to bathe, one of
Keshavati's hairs came off, and as it is the custom
with women never to throw away a hair unaccom-
panied with something else, she tied the hair to
a shell which was floating on the water ; after
which they returned home. In the meantime the
shell with the hair tied to it floated down the
stream, and in course of time reached that ghat^
at which Sahasra Dal and his companions were
in the habit of performing their ablutions. The
shell passed by when Sahasra Dal and his friends
were bathing ; and he, seeing it at some distance,
said to them, "Whoever succeeds in catching
hold of yonder shell shall be rewarded with a
hundred rupees." They all swam towards it, and
Sahasra Dal, being the fleetest swimmer, got it.
On examining it he found a hair tied to it. But
such hair ! He had never seen so long a hair. It
was exactly seven cubits long. *' The owner of
this hair must be a remarkable woman, and I must
see her " — such was the resolution of Sahasra Dal.
He went home from the river in a pensive mood,
and instead of proceeding to the zenana for break-
fast, remained in the outer part of the palace.
The queen-mother, on hearing that Sahasra Dal
was looking mxclancholy and had not come to
breakfast, went to him and asked the reason. He
showed her the hair, and said he must see the
woman w^hose head it had adorned. The queen-

1 Eathing-place, either in a tank or on the bank of a river, generally
furnished with flights of steps.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

mother said, " Very well, you shall have that lady
in the palace as soon as possible. I promise you
to bring her here." The queen-mother told her
favourite maid-servant, w^hom she knew^ to be full
of resources — the same who was a Rakshasi in
disguise — that she must, as soon as possible, bring
to the palace that lady who was the owner of
the hair seven cubits long. The maid-servant said
she would be quite able to fetch her. By her
directions a boat was built of Hajoi wood, the
oars of which were of Mon Paban wood. The
boat was launched on the stream, and she went on
board of it with some baskets of wicker-work of
curious workmanship ; she also took with her
some sweetmeats into which some poison had
been mixed. She snapped her fingers thrice, and
uttered the following charm : —

''Boat ofHajol!
Oars of Mon Paban !
Take me to the Ghat^
In which Keshavati bathes T

No sooner had the words been uttered than the
boat flew like lightning over the waters. It went
on and on, leaving behind many a town and city.
At last it stopped at a bathing- place, which the
Rakshasi maid-servant concluded was the bathing
ghat of Keshavati. She landed with the sweet-
meats in her hand. She went to the gate of the
palace, and cried aloud, " O Keshavati ! Kesha-
vati ! I am your aunt, your mother's sister. I am

come to see you, my darling, after so many years.

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

Are you in, Keshavati ? " The princess, on hear-
ing these words, came out of her room, and
making no doubt that she was her aunt, em-
braced and kissed her. They both wept rivers
of joy — at least the Rakshasi maid-servant did,
and Keshavati followed suit through sympathy.
Champa Dal also thought that she was the aunt of
his newly married wife. They all ate and drank
and took rest in the middle of the day. Champa
Dal, as was his habit, went to sleep after breakfast.
Towards afternoon, the supposed aunt said to
Keshavati, " Let us both go to the river and wash
ourselves." Keshavati replied, " How can we go
now ? my husband is sleeping." " Never mind,"
said the aunt, " let him sleep on ; let me put these
sweetmeats, that I have brought, near his bedside,
that he may eat them when he gets up." They
then went to the river-side close to the spot where
the boat was. Keshavati, when she saw from
some distance the baskets of wicker-work in the
boat, said, " Aunt, what beautiful things are those !
I wish I could get some of them." " Come, my
child, come and look at them ; and you can have
as many as you like." Keshavati at first refused to
go into the boat, but on being pressed by her aunt,
she went. The moment they two were on board,
the aunt snapped her fingers thrice and said : —

'' Boat of Hajol !
Oars of Mon Paban !
Take me to the Ghat^
In which Sahasra Dal bathe s.^^

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

As soon as these magical words were uttered the
boat moved and flew like an arrow over the
waters. Keshavati was frightened and began to
cry, but the boat went on and on, leaving behind
many towns and cities, and in a trice reached the
ghat where Sahasra Dal was in the habit of
bathing. Keshavati was taken to the palace ;
Sahasra Dal admired her beauty and the length of
her hair ; and the ladies of the palace tried their
best to comfort her. But she set up a loud cry, and
wanted to be taken back to her husband. At last
when she saw that she was a captive, she told the
ladies of the palace that she had taken a vow that
she would not see the face of any strange man for
six months. She was then lodged apart from the
rest in a small house, the window of which over-
looked the road ; there she spent the livelong day
and also the livelong night — for she had very little
sleep — in sighing and weeping.

In the meantime when Champa Dal awoke
from sleep, he was distracted with grief at not
finding his wife. He now thought that the
woman, who pretended to be his wife's aunt, was
a cheat and an impostor, and that she must have
carried away Keshavati. He did not eat the
sweetmeats, suspecting they might be poisoned.
He threw one of them to a crow which, the
moment it ate it, dropped down dead. He was
now the more confirmed in his unfavourable
opinion of the pretended aunt. Maddened with
grief, he rushed out of the house, and determined

to go whithersoever his eyes might lead him.

IV THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS

Like a madman always blubbering " O Keshavati !
O Keshavati ! 'he travelled on foot day after day,
not knowing whither he went. Six months were

InTJ.ll' ^^"i^"™^ travelling when, at the
end of that period, he reached the capital of
Sahasra Da He was passing by the palace-ga^e
when the sighs and wailings of a woman sitt nf
the window of a house, on the road-side, attracted
his attention One moment's look, and they
ecognised each other. They continued to hold
ecret communications. Champa Dal heard every-
thing including the story of her vow, the period
ot which was to terminate the following day It

learnerBrlh °" "' '"'",™^"' °' ' ^°-' f- -»-
learned Brahman to make public recitations of

events connected with the vow and the person

who makes it. It was settled that Champ^a Da"

should take upon himself the functions of the

reciter. Accordingly, next morning, when it was

proclaimed by beat of drum that the king wanTed

a learned Brahman who could recite the story of

£l to"r." 't' ^""^'"''"' °f ^" -°-. Champa
Dal touched the drum and said that he would

make the recitation. Next morning a gorgeous
assenibly was held in the courtyard !f thVp'alc
under a huge canopy of silk. The old king
Sahasra Dal all the courtiers and the learned
Brahmans of the country, were present there
Keshavati was also there behind a screen that she
might not be exposed to the rude gaze of he
people. Champa Dal, the reciter, sitting on a dl£^
began the story of Keshavati, as we have related

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL iv

it, from the beginning, commencing with the words
— " There was a poor and half-witted Brahman,
etc." As he was going on with the story, the
reciter every now and then asked Keshavati behind
the screen whether the story was correct ; to
which question she as often replied, " Quite
correct ; go on. Brahman." During the recitation
of the story the Rakshasi maid-servant grew pale,
as she perceived that her real character was
discovered ; and Sahasra Dal was astonished at the
knowledge of the reciter regarding the history of
his own life. The moment the story was finished,
Sahasra Dal jumped up from his seat, and
embracing the reciter, said, " You can be none
other than my brother Champa Dal." Then the
prince, inflamed with rage, ordered the maid-
servant into liis presence. A large hole, as deep
as the height of a man, was dug in the ground ;
the maid- servant was put into it in a standing
posture ; prickly thorn was heaped around her up
to the crown of her head : in this wise was the
maid-servant buried alive. After this Sahasra Dal
and his princess, and Champa Dal and Keshavati,
lived happily together many years.

Thus my story endeth.

The Natty a-t horn wither eth^ etc.

THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA

There was a rich merchant who had an only
son whom he loved passionately. He gave to his
son whatever he wanted. His son wanted a
beautiful house in the midst of a large garden.
The house was built for him, and the grounds
were laid out into a fine garden. One day as the
merchant's son was walking in his garden, he put
his hand into the nest of a small bird called
toontooni^ and found in it an ^^%^ which he took
and put in an almirah which was dug into the
wall of his house. He closed the door of the
almirah, and thought no more of the ^%%.

Though the merchant's son had a house of his
own, he had no separate establishment ; at any
rate he kept no cook, for his mother used to send
him regularly his breakfast and dinner every day.
The Qg^ which he deposited in the wall-almirah
one day burst, and out of it came a beautiful infant,
a girl. But the merchant's son knew nothing
about it. He had forgotten everything about the
^%%^ and the door of the wall-almirah had been
kept closed, though not locked, ever since the day

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL v

the egg was put there. The child grew up
within the wall-almirah without the knowledge of
the merchant's son or of any one else. When the
child could walk, it had the curiosity one day to
open the door ; and seeing some food on the floor
(the breakfast of the merchant's son sent by his
mother), it came out, and ate a little of it, and
returned to its cell in the wall-almirah. As the
mother of the merchant's son sent him always
more than he could himself eat, he perceived no
diminution in the quantity. The girl of the wall-
almirah used every day to come out and eat a part
of the food, and after eating used to return to her
place in the almirah. But as the girl got older
and older, she began to eat more and more ; hence
the merchant's son began to perceive a diminution
in the quantity of his food. Not dreaming of the
existence of the wall-almirah girl, he wondered
that his mother should send him such a small
quantity of food. He sent word to his mother,
complaining of the insufficiency of his meals, and
of the slovenly manner in which the food was
served up in the dish ; for the girl of the wall-
almirah used to finger the rice, curry, and other
articles of food, and as she always went in a hurry
back into the almirah that she might not be
perceived by any one, she had no time to put the
rice and the other things into proper order after
she had eaten part of them. The mother was
astonished at her son's complaint, for she gave
always a much larger quantity than she knew her

son could consume, and the food was served up on

The Girl of the Wall-Almirah.

V THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA

a silver plate neatly by her own hand. But as her
son repeated the same complaint day after day, she
began ' to suspect foul play. She told her son to
watch and see whether any one ate part of it
unperceived. Accordingly, one day when the
servant brought the breakfast and laid it in a clean
place on the floor, the merchant's son, instead of
going to bathe as it had hitherto been his custom,
hid himself in a secret place and began to watch.
In a few minutes he saw the door of the wall-
almirah open ; a beautiful damsel of sweet six-
teen stepped out of it, sat on the carpet spread
before the breakfast, and began to eat. The mer-
chant's son came out of his hiding-place, and the
damsel could not escape. " Who are you, beauti-
ful creature ? You do not seem to be earth-born.
Are you one of the daughters of the gods ? " asked
the merchant's son. The girl replied, " I do not
know who I am. This I know, that one day I
found myself in yonder almirah, and have been
ever since living in it." The merchant's son
thought it strange. He now remembered that
sixteen years before he had put in the almirah an
egg he had found in the nest of a toontooni bird.
The uncommon beauty of the wall-almirah girl
made a deep impression on the mind of the
merchant's son, and he resolved in his mind to
marry her. The girl no more went into the
almirah, but lived in one of the rooms of the
spacious house of the merchant's son.

The next day the merchant's son sent word to
his mother to the effect that he would like to get

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL v

married. His mother reproached herself for not
having long before thought of her son's marriage,
and sent a message to her son to the effect that
she and his father would the next day send
ghataks ^ to different countries to seek for a suitable
bride. The merchant's son sent word that he had
secured for himself a most lovable young lady, and
that if his parents had no objections he would
produce her before them. Accordingly the young
lady of the wall-almirah was taken to the mer-
chant's house ; and the merchant and his wife
were so struck with the matchless beauty, grace,
and loveliness of the stranger, that, without asking
any questions as to her birth, the nuptials were
celebrated.

In course of time the merchant's son had two
sons ; the elder he named Swet and the younger
Basanta. The old merchant died and so did his
wife. Swet and Basanta grew up fine lads, and
the elder was in due time married. Some time
after Swet's marriage his mother, the wall-almirah
lady, also died, and the widower lost no time in
marrying a young and beautiful wife. As Swet's
wife was older than his stepmother, she became
the mistress of the house. The stepmother, like
all stepmothers, hated Swet and Basanta with a
perfect hatred ; and the two ladies were naturally
often at loggerheads with each other.

It so happened one day that a fisherman brought
to the merchant (we shall no longer call him the
merchant's son, as his father had died) a fish of

1 Professional match-makers.
92

V THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA

singular beauty. It was unlike any other fish that
had been seen. The fish had marvellous qualities
ascribed to it by the fisherman. If any one eats
it, said he, when he laughs maniks ^ will drop from
his mouth, and when he weeps pearls will drop
from his eyes. The merchant, hearing of the
wonderful properties of the fish, bought it at one
thousand rupees, and put it into the hands of Swet's
wife, who was the mistress of the house, strictly
enjoining on her to cook it well and to ^\n^ it to
him alone to eat. The mistress, or house-mother,
who had overheard the conversation between her
father-in-law and the fisherman, secretly resolved
in her mind to give the cooked fish to her husband
and to his brother to eat, and to give to her father-
in-law instead a frog daintily cooked. When she
had finished cooking both the fish and the frog,
she heard the noise of a squabble between her
stepmother-in-law and her husband's brother. It
appears that Basanta, who was but a lad yet, was
passionately fond of pigeons, which he tamed.
One of these pigeons had flown into the room of
his stepmother, who had secreted it in her clothes.
Basanta rushed into the room, and loudly demanded
the pigeon. His stepmother denied any knowledge
of the pigeon, on which the elder brother, Swet,
forcibly took out the bird from her clothes and
gave it to his brother. The stepmother cursed and
swore, and added, " Wait, when the head of the
house comes home I will make him shed the blood

1 Manik, or rather manikya, is a fabulous precious stone of incredible value.
It is found on the head of some species of snakes, and is equal in value to the
wealth of seven kings.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL v

of you both before I give him water to drink."
Swet's wife called her husband and said to him,
" My dearest lord, that woman is a most wicked
woman, and has boundless influence over my father-
in-law. She will make him do what she has
threatened. Our life is in imminent danger. Let
us first eat a little, and let us all three run away
from this place." Swet forthwith called Basanta
to him, and told him what he had heard from his
wife. They resolved to run away before night-
fall. The woman placed before her husband and
his brother-in-law the fish of wonderful properties,
and they ate of it heartily. The woman packed
up all her jewels in a box. As there was only one
horse, and it was of uncommon fleetness, the three
sat upon it ; Swet held the reins, the woman sat in
the middle with the jewel-box in her lap, and
Basanta brought up the rear.

The horse galloped with the utmost swiftness.
They passed through many a plain and many a
noted town, till after midnight they found them-
selves in a forest not far from the bank of a river.
Here the most untoward event took place. Swet's
wife began to feel the pains of child-birth. They
dismounted, and in an hour or two Swet's wife gave
birth to a son. What were the two brothers to
do in this forest ? A fire must be kindled to
give heat both to the mother and the new-born
baby. But where was the fire to be got ? There
were no human habitations visible. Still fire
must be procured — and it was the month of
December — or else both the mother and the baby

w^fi.wiCK GoBi-c;.

"On a sudden an elephant gorgeously caparisoned shot
across his path."

V THE STORY OF SVVET-BASANTA

would certainly perish. Swet told Basanta to sit
beside his wife, while he set out in the darkness
of the night in search of fire.

Swet walked many a mile in darkness. Still he
saw no human habitations. At last the genial light
of Sukra^ somewhat illumined his path, and he
saw at a distance what seemed a large city. He
was congratulating himself on his journey's end and
on his being able to obtain fire for the benefit of
his poor wife lying cold in the fiDrest with the
new-born babe, when on a sudden an elephant,
gorgeously caparisoned, shot across his path, and
gently taking him up by his trunk, placed him on
the rich howdah" on its back. It then walked
rapidly towards the city. Swet was quite taken
aback. He did not understand the meaning of the
elephant's action, and wondered what was in store
for him. A crown was in store lov him. In that
kingdom, the chief city of which he was approach-
ing, every morning a king was elected, for the king
of the previous day was always found dead in the
morning in the room of the queen. What caused
the death of the king no one knew ; neither did
the queen herself (for every successive king took
her to wife) know the cause. And the elephant
who took hold of Swet was the king -maker.
Early in the morning it went about, sometimes to
distant places, and whosoever was brought on its
back was acknowledged king by the people. The
elephant majestically marched through the crowded

1 Venus, the Morning Star.
2 The seat on the back of an elephant.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL v

streets of the city, amid the acclamations of the
people, the meaning of which Swet did not under-
stand, entered the palace, and placed him on the
throne. He was proclaimed king amid the rejoic-
ings of some and the lamentations of others. In
the course of the day he heard of the strange
fatality which overtook every night the elected
king of those realms, but being possessed of great
discretion and courage, he took every precaution to
avert the dreadful catastrophe. Yet he hardly
knew what expedients to adopt, as he was un-
acquainted with the nature of the danger. He
resolved, however, upon two things, and these
were, to go armed into the queen's bedchamber,
and to sit up awake the whole night. The queen
was young and of exquisite beauty, and so guileless
and benevolent was the expression of her face that
it was impossible from looking at her to suppose
that she could use any foul means of taking away
the life of her nightly consort. In the queen's
chamber Swet spent a very agreeable evening ; as
the night advanced the queen fell asleep, but Swet
kept awake, and was on the alert, looking at every
creek and corner of the room, and expecting every
minute to be murdered. In the dead of night he
perceived something like a thread coming out of
the left nostril of the queen. The thread was so
thin that it was almost invisible. As he watched
it he found it several yards long, and yet it was
coming out. When the whole of it had come out,
it began to grow thick, and in a few minutes it

assumed the form of a huge serpent. In a moment

V THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA

Swet cut off the head of the serpent, the body of
which wriggled violently. He sat quiet in the
room, expecting other adventures. But nothing
else happened. The queen slept longer than usual
as she had been relieved of the huge snake which
had made her stomach its den. Early next
morning the ministers came expecting as usual to
hear of the king's death ; but when the ladies of
the bedchamber knocked at the door of the queen
they were astonished to see Swet come out. It was
then known to all the people how that every night
a terrible snake issued from the queen's nostrils, how
it devoured the king every night, and how it had
at last been killed by the fortunate Swet. The
whole country rejoiced in the prospect of a
permanent king. It is a strange thing, never-
theless it is true, that Swet did not remember
his poor wife with the new-born babe lying in the
forest, nor his brother attending on her. With the
possession of the throne he seemed to forget the
whole of his past history.

Basanta, to whom his brother had entrusted
his wife and child, sat watching for many a weary
hour, expecting every moment to see Swet return
with fire. The whole night passed away without
his return. At sunrise he went to the bank of the
river which was close by, and anxiously looked
about for his brother, but in vain. Distressed
beyond measure, he sat on the river side and wept.
A boat was passing by in which a merchant was
returning to his country. As the boat was not far
from the shore the merchant saw Basanta weeping ;

97 H

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL v

and what struck the attention of the merchant was
the heap of what looked like pearls near the
weeping man. At the request of the merchant
the boatman took his vessel towards the bank ;
the merchant went to the weeping man, and found
that the heap was a heap of real pearls of the
finest lustre : and what astonished him most of all
was that the heap was increasing every second, for
the tear-drops that were falling from his eyes fell
to the ground not as tears but as pearls. The
merchant stowed away the heap of pearls into his
boat, and with the help of his servants caught
hold of Basanta himself, put him on board the
vessel, and tied him to a post. Basanta, of course,
resisted ; but what could he do against so many ?
Thinking of his brother, his brother's wife and
baby, and his own captivity, Basanta wept more
bitterly than before, which mightily pleased the
merchant, as the more tears his captive shed the
richer he himself became. When the merchant
reached his native town he confined Basanta in a
room, and at stated hours every day scourged him
in order to make him shed tears, every one of
which was converted into a bright pearl. The
merchant one day said to his servants, " As the
fellow is making me rich by his weeping, let us
see what he gives me by laughing." Accordingly
he began to tickle his captive, on which Basanta
laughed, and as he laughed a great many maniks
dropped from his mouth. After this poor Basanta
was alternately whipped and tickled all the day
and far into the night ; and the merchant, in

V THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA

consequence, became the wealthiest man in
the land. Leaving Basanta subjected to the
alternate processes of castigation and titillation,
let us attend to the fortunes of the poor wife
of Swet, alone in the forest, with a child just
born.

Swet's wife, apparently deserted by her
husband and her brother-in-law, was overwhelmed
with grief. A woman, but a few hours since
delivered of a child — and her first child, alone, and
in a forest, far from the habitations of men, — her
case was indeed pitiable. She wept rivers of tears.
Excessive grief, however, brought her relief.
She fell asleep with the new-born baby in her
arms. It so happened that at that hour the
Kotwal (prefect of the police) of the country was
passing that way. He had been very unfortunate
with regard to his offspring ; every child his wife
presented him with died shortly after birth, and
he was now going to bury the last infant on the
banks of the river. As he was going, he saw in
the forest a woman sleeping with a baby in her
arms. It was a lively and beautiful boy. The
Kotwal coveted the lovely infant. He quietly
took it up, put in its place his own dead child, and
returning home, told his wife that the child had
not really died and had revived. Swet's wife,
unconscious of the deceit practised upon her by
the Kotwal, on waking found her child dead.
The distress of her mind may be imagined. The
whole world became dark to her. She was
distracted with grief, and in her distraction she

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL v

formed the resolution of committing suicide.
The river was not far from the spot, and she
determined to drown herself in it. She took in
her hand the bundle of jewels and proceeded to
the river-side. An old Brahman was at no great
distance, performing his morning ablutions. He
noticed the woman going into the water, and
naturally thought that she was going to bathe ;
but when he saw her going far into deep waters,
some suspicion arose in his mind. Discontinuing
his devotions, he bawled out and ordered the
woman to come to him. Swet's wife seeing that
it was an old man that was calling her, retraced
her steps and came to him. On being asked what
she was about to do, she said that she was going
to make an end of herself, and that as she had
some jewels with her she would be obliged if he
would accept them as a present. At the request
of the old Brahman she related to him her
whole story. The upshot was, that she was
prevented from drowning herself, and that she
was received into the Brahman's family, where
she was treated by the Brahman's wife as her own
daughter.

Years passed on. The reputed son of the
Kotwal grew up a vigorous, robust lad. As the
house of the old Brahman was not far from the
Kotwal's, the Kotwal's son used accidentally to
meet the handsome strange woman who passed for
the Brahman's daughter. The lad liked the
woman, and wanted to marry her. He spoke to
his father about the woman, and the father spoke

100

V THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA

to the Brahman. The Brahman's rage knew no
bounds. What ! the infidel Kotwal's son aspirin?
to the hand of a Brahman's daughter ! A dwarf
may as well aspire to catch hold of the moon !
But the Kotwal's son determined to have her by
force. With this wicked object he one day
scaled the wall that encompassed the Brahman's
house, and got upon the thatched roof of the
Brahman's cow-house. While he was recon-
noitenng from that lofty position, he heard the
tollowmg conversation between two calves in the
cow-house : —

First Calf. Men accuse us of brutish ignorance
and immorality ; but in my opinion men are fifty
times worse.

Second Calf. What makes you say so, brother ?
Have you witnessed to-day any instance of human
depravity ?

First Calf Who can be a greater monster of
crime than the same lad who is at this moment
standmg on the thatched roof of this hut over our
head ?

Second Calf Why, I thought it was only the
son of our Kotwal ; and I never heard that he was
exceptionally vicious.

First Calf You never heard, but now you
hear from me. This wicked lad is now wishine
to get married to his own mother !

The First Calf then related to the inquisitive
Second Calf in full the story of Swet and Basanta •
how they and Swet's wife fled from the vengeance
of their stepmother; how Swet's wife was

lOI

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL v

delivered of a child in the forest by the river-side ;
how Swet v^as made king by the elephant, and
how he succeeded in killing the serpent which
issued out of the queen's nostrils ; how Basanta
was carried away by the merchant, confined in a
dungeon, and alternately flogged and tickled for
pearls and majiiks ; how the Kotwal exchanged his
dead child for the living one of Swet ; how Swet's
wife was prevented from drowning herself in the
river by the Brahman ; how she was received into
the Brahman's family and treated as his daughter ;
how the Kotwal's son grew up a hardy, lusty
youth, and fell in love with her ; and how at that
very moment he was intent on accomplishing his
brutal object. All this story the Kotwal's son
heard from the thatched roof of the cow-house,
and was struck with horror. He forthwith got
down from the thatch, and went home and told
his father that he must have an interview with
the king. Notwithstanding his reputed father's
protestations to the contrary, he had an interview
with the king, to whom he repeated the whole
story as he had overheard it from the thatch of the
cow-house. The king now remembered his poor
wife's case. She was brought from the house of
the Brahman, whom he richly rewarded, and put
her in her proper position as the queen of the
kingdom ; the reputed son of the Kotwal was
acknowledged as his own son, and proclaimed the
heir-apparent to the throne ; Basanta was brought
out of the dungeon, and the wicked merchant who
had maltreated him was buried alive in the earth

102

V THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA

surrounded with thorns. After this, Swet, his
wife and son, and Basanta, lived together happily
for many years.

Now my story endeth.

The Natiya-thorn wkhereth, etc.

[03

THE EVIL EYE OF SANI

Once upon a time Sani, or Saturn, the god of bad
luck, and Lakshmi, the goddess of good luck, fell
out with each other in heaven. Sani said he was
higher in rank than Lakshmi, and Lakshmi said
she was higher in rank than Sani. As all the gods
and goddesses of heaven were equally ranged on
either side, the contending deities agreed to refer
the matter to some human being who had a name
for wisdom and justice. Now, there lived at that
time upon earth a man of the name of Sribatsa,^
who was as wise and just as he was rich. Him,
therefore, both the god and the goddess chose as
the settler of their dispute. One day, accordingly,
Sribatsa was told that Sani and Lakshmi were
wishing to pay him a visit to get their dispute
settled. Sribatsa was in a fix. If he said Sani was
higher in rank than Lakshmi, she would be angry
with him and forsake him. If he said Lakshmi
was higher in rank than Sani, Sani would cast his
evil eye upon him. Hence he made up his mind

1 Sri is another name of Lakshmi, and batsa means child ; so that Sribatsa
is literally the " child of fortune."

104

VI THE EVIL EYE OF SANI

not to say anything directly, but to leave the god
and the goddess to gather his opinion from his
action. He got two stools made, the one of gold
and the other of silver, and placed them beside
him. When Sani and Lakshmi came to Sribatsa,
he told Sani to sit upon the silver stool, and
Lakshmi upon the gold stool. Sani became mad
with rage, and said in an angry tone to Sribatsa,
"Well, as you consider me lower in rank than
Lakshmi, I will cast my eye on you for three years ;
and I should like to see how you fare at the end of
that period." The god then went away in high
dudgeon. Lakshmi, before going away, said to
Sribatsa, "My child, do not fear. I'll befriend
you." The god and the goddess then went away.
Sribatsa said to his wife, whose name was
Chintamani, " Dearest, as the evil eye of Sani will
be upon me at once, I had better go away from
the house ; for if I remain in the house with you,
evil will befall you and me ; but if I go away, it
will overtake me only." Chintamani said, "That
cannot be ; wherever you go, I will go, your lot
shall be my lot." The husband tried hard to
persuade his wife to remain at home ; but it was
of no use. She would go with her husband.
Sribatsa accordingly told his wife to make an
opening in their mattress, and to stow away in it
all the money and jewels they had. On the eve
of leaving their house, Sribatsa invoked Lakshmi,
who forthwith appeared. He then said to her,
" Mother Lakshmi ! as the evil eye of Sani is
upon us, we are going away into exile ; but do thou

105

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL vi

befriend us, and take care of our house and

property." The goddess of good luck answered,

" Do not fear ; I'll befriend you ; all will be right

at last." They then set out on their journey.

Sribatsa rolled up the mattress and put it on his

head. They had not gone many miles when they

saw a river before them. It was not fordable ;

but there was a canoe there with a man sitting in

it. The travellers requested the ferryman to take

them across. The ferryman said, " I can take

only one at a time ; but you are three — yourself,

your wife, and the mattress." Sribatsa proposed

that first his wife and the mattress should be taken

across, and then he ; but the ferryman would not

hear of it. " Only one at a time," repeated he ;

*' first let me take across the mattress." When

the canoe with the mattress was in the middle of

the stream, a fierce gale arose, and carried away

the mattress, the canoe, and the ferryman, no one

knows whither. And it was strange the stream

also disappeared, for the place, where they saw a

few minutes since the rush of waters, had now

become firm ground. Sribatsa then knew that

this was nothing but the evil eye of Sani.

Sribatsa and his wife, without a pice in their

pocket, went to a village which was hard by. It

was dwelt in for the most part by wood-cutters,

who used to go at sunrise to the forest to cut

wood, which they sold in a town not far from the

village. Sribatsa proposed to the wood-cutters

that he should go along with them to cut wood.

They agreed. So he began to fell trees as well as

io6

"They then set out on their journey."

"Wai>?,v«/»ck^ Goaue,

VI THE EVIL EYE OF SANI

the best of them ; but there was this diiFerence
between Sribatsa and the other wood-cutters, that
whereas the latter cut any and every sort of wood,
the former cut only precious wood like sandal-
wood. The wood-cutters used to bring to market
large loads of common wood, and Sribatsa only
a few pieces of sandal-wood, for which he got a
great deal more money than the others. As this
was going on day after day, the wood-cutters
through envy plotted together, and drove away
from the village Sribatsa and his wife.

The next place they went to was a village of
weavers, or rather cotton-spinners. Here Chinta-
mani, the wife of Sribatsa, made herself useful by
spinning cotton. And as she was an intelligent
and skilful woman, she spun finer thread than the
other women ; and she got more money. This
roused the envy of the native women of the
village. But this was not all. Sribatsa, in order
to gain the good grace of the weavers, asked them
to a feast, the dishes of which were all cooked by
his wife. As Chintamani excelled in cooking,
the barbarous weavers of the village were quite
charmed by the delicacies set before them. When
the men went to their homes, they reproached
their wives for not being able to cook so well as
the wife of Sribatsa, and called them good-for-
nothing women. This thing made the women of
the village hate Chintamani the more. One day
Chintamani went to the river-side to bathe along
with the other women of the village. A boat
had been lying on the bank stranded on the sand

107

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL vi

for many days ; they had tried to move it, but in

vain. It so happened that as Chintamani by

accident touched the boat, it moved off to the

river. The boatmen, astonished at the event,

thought that the woman had uncommon power,

and might be useful on similar occasions in future.

They therefore caught hold of her, put her in the

boat, and rowed off. The women of the village, who

were present, did not offer any resistance as they hated

Chintamani. When Sribatsa heard how his wife

had been carried away by boatmen, he became

mad with grief. He left the village, went to the

river-side, and resolved to follow the course of the

stream till he should meet the boat where his wife

was a prisoner. He travelled on and on, along

the side of the river, till it became dark. As there

were no huts to be seen, he climbed into a tree for

the night. Next morning as he got down from

the tree he saw at the foot of it a cow called a

Kapila-cow, which never calves, but which gives

milk at all hours of the day whenever it is milked.

Sribatsa milked the cow, and drank its milk to his

heart's content. He was astonished to find that

the cow-dung which lay on the ground was of a

bright yellow colour ; indeed, he found it was

pure gold. While it was in a soft state he wrote

his own name upon it, and when in the course

of the day it became hardened, it looked like a

brick of gold — and so it was. As the tree grew

on the river-side, and as the Kapila-cow came

morning and evening to supply him with milk,

Sribatsa resolved to stay there till he should meet

io8

VI THE EVIL EYE OF SANI

the boat. In the meantime the gold-bricks were
increasing in number every day, for the cov^ both
morning and evening deposited there the precious
article. He put the gold-bricks, upon all of
which his name was engraved, one upon another
in rows, so that from a distance they looked like a
hillock of gold.

Leaving Sribatsa to arrange his gold -bricks
under the tree on the river-side we must follow
the fortunes of his wife. Chintamani was a woman
of great beauty ; and thinking that her beauty
might be her ruin, she, when seized by the boat-
men, offered to Lakshmi the following prayer

" O Mother Lakshmi ! have pity upon me. Thou
hast made me beautiful, but now my beauty will
undoubtedly prove my ruin by the loss of honour
and chastity. I therefore beseech thee, gracious
Mother, to make me ugly, and to cover my body
with some loathsome disease, that the boatmen
may not touch me." Lakshmi heard Chintamani's
prayer ; and in the twinkling of an eye, while she
was in the arms of the boatmen, her naturally
beautiful form was turned into a vile carcase. The
boatmen, on putting her down in the boat, found
her body covered with loathsome sores which were
giving out a disgusting stench. They therefore
threw her into the hold of the boat amongst the
cargo, where they used morning and evening to
send her a little boiled rice and some water. In
that hold Chintamani had a miserable life of it ;
but she greatly preferred that misery to the loss
of chastity. The boatmen went to some port, sold

109

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL vi

the cargo, and were returning to their country
when the sight of what seemed a hillock of gold,
not far from the river-side, attracted their attention.
Sribatsa, whose eyes were ever directed towards
the river, was delighted when he saw a boat turn
towards the bank, as he fondly imagined his wife
might be in it. The boatmen went to the hillock
of gold, when Sribatsa said that the gold was his.
They put all the gold-bricks on board their vessel,
took Sribatsa prisoner, and put him into the hold
not far from the woman covered with sores. They
of course immediately recognised each other, in
spite of the change Chintamani had undergone,
but thought it prudent not to speak to each other.
They communicated there ideas, therefore, by signs
and gestures. Now, the boatmen were fond of
playing at dice, and as Sribatsa appeared to them
from his looks to be a respectable man, they
always asked him to join in the game. As he
was an expert player, he almost always won the
game, on which the boatmen, envying his superior
skill, threw him overboard. Chintamani had the
presence of mind, at that moment, to throw into
the water a pillow which she had for resting her
head upon. Sribatsa took hold of the pillow, by
means of which he floated down the stream till he
was carried at nightfall to what seemed a garden
on the water's edge. There he stuck among the
trees, where he remained the whole night, wet
and shivering. Now, the garden belonged to an
old widow who was in former years the chief flower-
supplier to the king of that country. Through

VI THE EVIL EYE OF SANI

some cause or other a blight seemed to have come

over her garden, as almost all the trees and plants

ceased flowering ; she had therefore given up her

place as the flower-supplier of the royal household.

On the morning following the night on which

Sribatsa had stuck among the trees, however, the

old woman on getting up from her bed could

scarcely believe her eyes when she saw the whole

garden ablaze with flowers. There was not a

single tree or plant which was not begemmed with

flowers. Not understanding the cause of such a

miraculous sight, she took a walk through the

garden, and found on the river's brink, stuck among

the trees, a man shivering and almost dying with

cold. She brought him to her cottage, lighted a

fire to give him warmth, and showed him every

attention, as she ascribed the wonderful flowering

of her trees to his presence. After making him

as comfortable as she could, she ran to the king's

palace, and told his chief servants that she was

again in a position to supply the palace with

flowers ; so she was restored to her former office

as the flower -woman of the royal household.

Sribatsa, who stopped a few days with the woman,

requested her to recommend him to one of the

king's ministers for a berth. He was accordingly

sent for to the palace, and as he was at once found

to be a man of intelligence, the king's minister

asked him what post he would like to have.

Agreeably to his wish he was appointed collector

of tolls on the river. While discharging his duties

as river toll-gatherer, in the course of a few days

III

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL vi

he saw the very boat in which his wife was a
prisoner. He detained the boat, and charged the
boatmen with the theft of gold-bricks which he
claimed as his own. At the mention of gold-
bricks the king himself came to the river-side, and
was astonished beyond measure to see bricks made
of gold, every one of which had the inscription —
Sribatsa. At the same time Sribatsa rescued from
the boatmen his wife, who, the moment she came
out of the vessel, became as lovely as before. The
king heard the story of Sribatsa's misfortunes from
his lips, entertained him in a princely style for
many days, and at last sent him and his wife to
their own country with presents of horses and
elephants. The evil eye of Sani was now turned
away from Sribatsa, and he again became what he
formerly was, the Child of Fortune.

Thus my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn withereth^ etc.

112

VII

THE BOY WHOM SEVEN MOTHERS

SUCKLED

Once on a time there reigned a king who had
seven queens. He was very sad, for the seven
queens were all barren. A holy mendicant, however,
one day told the king that in a certain forest there
grew a tree, on a branch of which hung seven man-
goes ; if the king himself plucked those mangoes and
gave one to each of the queens they would all become
mothers. So the king went to the forest, plucked
the seven mangoes that grew upon one branch, and
gave a mango to each of the queens to eat. In a
short time the king's heart was filled with joy, as he
heard that the seven queens were all with child.

One day the king was out hunting, when he
saw a young lady of peerless beauty cross his path.
He fell in love with her, brought her to his palace,
and married her. This lady was, however, not a
human being, but a Rakshasi ; but the king of
course did not know it. The king became dotingly
fond of her ; he did whatever she told him. She
said one day to the king, " You say that you love

113 I

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL vii

me more than any one else. Let me see whether
you really love me so. If you love me, make your
seven other queens blind, and let them be killed."
The king became very sad at the request of his
best-beloved queen, the more so as the seven queens
were all with child. But there was nothing for it
but to comply with the Rakshasi-queen's request.
The eyes of the seven queens were plucked out of
their sockets, and the queens themselves were
delivered up to the chief minister to be destroyed.
But the chief minister was a merciful man.
Instead of killing the seven queens he hid them in
a cave which was on the side of a hill. In course
of time the eldest of the seven queens gave birth to
a child. "What shall I do with the child," said
she, " now that we are blind and are dying for want
of food r Let me kill the child, and let us all eat
of its flesh." So saying she killed the infant,
and gave to each of her sister-queens a part
of the child to eat. The six ate their portion,
but the seventh or youngest queen did not eat her
share, but laid it beside her. In a few days the
second queen also was delivered of a child, and she
did with it as her eldest sister had done with hers.
So did the third, the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth
queen. At last the seventh queen gave birth to a
son ; but she, instead of following the example of
her sister-queens, resolved to nurse the child. The
other queens demanded their portions of the newly-
born babe. She gave each of them the portion she
had got of the six children which had been killed,

and which she had not eaten but laid aside. The

114

VII BOY SUCKLED BY SEVEN MOTHERS

other queens at once perceived that their portions
were dry, and could not therefore be the parts of
the child just born. The seventh queen told them
that she had made up her mind not to kill the
child but to nurse it. The others were glad to
hear this, and they all said that they would help
her in nursing the child. So the child was suckled
by seven mothers, and it became after some years
the hardiest and strongest boy that ever lived.

In the meantime the Rakshasi-wife of the king
was doing infinite mischief to the royal household
and to the capital. What she ate at the royal table
did not fill her capacious stomach. She therefore,
in the darkness of night, gradually ate up all
the members of the royal family, all the king's
servants and attendants, all his horses, elephants,
and cattle ; till none remained in the palace except
she herself and her royal consort. After that she
used to go out in the evenings into the city and eat
up a stray human being here and there. The king
was left unattended by servants ; there was no
person left to cook for him, for no one would take
his service. At last the boy who had been suckled
by seven mothers, and who had now grown up to
a stalwart youth, volunteered his services. He
attended on the king, and took every care to
prevent the queen from swallowing him up, for he
went away home long before nightfall ; and the
Rakshasi-queen never seized her victims except at
night. Hence the queen determined in some other
way to get rid of the boy. As the boy always
boasted that he was equal to any work, however

115

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL vii

hard, the queen told him that she was suffering

from some disease which could be cured only by

eating a certain species of melon, which was twelve

cubits long, but the stone of which was thirteen

cubits long, and that that fruit could be had

only from her mother, who lived on the other

side of the ocean. She gave him a letter of

introduction to her mother, in which she requested

her to devour the boy the moment he put the

letter into her hands. The boy, suspecting foul

play, tore up the letter and proceeded on his

journey. The dauntless youth passed through

many lands, and at last stood on the shore of the

ocean, on the other side of which was the country

of the Rakshasis. He then bawled as loud as he

could, and said, " Granny ! granny ! come and save

your daughter ; she is dangerously ill." An old

Rakshasi on the other side of the ocean heard the

words, crossed the ocean, came to the boy, and on

hearing the message took the boy on her back and

re-crossed the ocean. So the boy was in the

country of the Rakshasis. The twelve-cubit melon

with its thirteen-cubit stone was given to the boy

at once, and he was told to perform the journey

back. But the boy pleaded fatigue, and begged

to be allowed to rest one day. To this the old

Rakshasi consented. Observing a stout club and a

rope hanging in the Rakshasi's room, the boy

inquired what they were there for. She replied,

" Child, by that club and rope I cross the ocean. If

any one takes the club and the rope in his hands, and

addresses them in the following magical words —

ii6

'. i

r '\

V i

, \

'j^'-'-wV^- \

"A monstrous bird comes out apparently from the palace."

VII BOY SUCKLED BY SEVEN MOTHERS

" O stout club I O strong rote !
Take me at once to the other side,''

then immediately the club and rope will take him
to the other side of the ocean." Observing a bird
in a cage hanging in one corner of the room, the
boy inquired what it was. The old Rakshasi
replied, " It contains a secret, child, which must
not be disclosed to mortals, and yet how can I hide
it from my own grandchild ? That bird, child,
contains the life of your mother. If the bird is
killed, your mother will at once die." Armed
with these secrets, the boy went to bed that night.
Next morning the old Rakshasi, together with all
the other Rakshasis, went to distant countries for
forage. The boy took down the cage from the
ceiling, as well as the club and rope. Having
well secured the bird, he addressed the club and
rope thus —

" O stout club ! O strong rope !
Take me at once to the other side!''

In the twinkling of an eye the boy was put on
this side the ocean. He then retraced his steps,
came to the queen, and gave her, to her astonish-
ment, the twelve-cubit melon with its thirteen-
cubit stone ; but the cage with the bird in it he
kept carefully concealed.

In the course of time the people of the city
came to the king and said, "A monstrous bird
comes out apparently from the palace every evening,

and seizes the passengers in the streets and swallows

117

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL vii

them up. This has been going on for so long a
time that the city has become almost desolate."
The king could not make out what this monstrous
bird was. The king's servant, the boy, replied
that he knew the monstrous bird, and that he
would kill it provided the queen stood beside the
king. By royal command the queen was made to
stand beside the king. The boy then took the
bird from the cage which he had brought from
the other side of the ocean, on seeing which she
fell into a fainting fit. Turning to the king the
boy said, " Sire, you will soon perceive who the
monstrous bird is that devours your subjects every
evening. As I tear off each limb of this bird, the
corresponding limb of the man-devourer will fall
off." The boy then tore off one leg of the bird
in his hand ; immediately, to the astonishment of
the whole assembly, for the citizens were all
present, one of the legs of the queen fell off. And
when the boy squeezed the throat of the bird, the
queen gave up the ghost. The boy then related
his own history and that of his mother and his
stepmothers. The seven queens, whose eyesight
was miraculously restored, were brought back to
the palace ; and the boy that was suckled by seven
mothers was recognised by the king as his rightful
heir. So they lived together happily.

Thus my story etideth.

The Natty a-thorn withereth^ &c\

ii8

VIII
THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR

Once upon a time there lived a certain merchant
who had seven daughters. One day the merchant
put to his daughters the question : " By whose
fortune do you get your living ? " The eldest
daughter answered — " Papa, I get my living by
your fortune." The same answer was given by
the second daughter, the third, the fourth, the
fifth, and the sixth ; but his youngest daughter
said — "I get my living by my own fortune."
The merchant got very angry with the youngest
daughter, and said to her — " As you are so un-
grateful as to say that you get your living by your
own fortune, let me see how you fare alone. This
very day you shall leave my house without a pice
in your pocket." He forthwith called his palki-
bearers, and ordered them to take away the girl
and leave her in the midst of a forest. The girl
begged hard to be allowed to take with her her
work-box containing her needles and threads. She
was allowed to do so. She then got into the palki,
which the bearers lifted on their shoulders. The

bearers had not gone many hundred yards to the

119

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL viii

tune of " Hoon ! hoon ! hoon ! hoon ! hoon ! hoon ! "
when an old woman bawled out to them and bid
them stop. On coming up to the palki, she said,
" Where are you taking away my daughter ? " for
she was the nurse of the merchant's youngest child.
The bearers replied, "The merchant has ordered us
to take her away and leave her in the midst of a
forest ; and we are going to do his bidding." " I
must go with her," said the old woman. " How
will you be able to keep pace with us, as we must
needs run ? " said the bearers. " Anyhow I must
go where my daughter goes," rejoined the old
woman. The upshot was that, at the entreaty of
the merchant's youngest daughter, the old woman
was put inside the palki along with her. In the
afternoon the palki-bearers reached a dense forest.
They went far into it ; and towards sunset they
put down the girl and the old woman at the foot
of a large tree, and retraced their steps homewards.
The case of the merchant's youngest daughter
was truly pitiable. She was scarcely fourteen
years old ; she had been bred in the lap of luxury ;
and she was now here at sundown in the heart of
what seemed an interminable forest, with not a
penny in her pocket, and with no other protection
than what could be given her by an old, decrepit,
imbecile woman. The very trees of the forest
looked upon her with pity. The gigantic tree, at
whose foot she was mingling her tears with those
of the old woman, said to her (for trees could
speak in those days) — " Unhappy girl ! I much
pity you. In a short time the wild beasts of the

120

VIII THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR

forest will come out of their lairs and roam about
for their prey ; and they are sure to devour you
and your companion. But I can help you ; I w^ill
make an opening for you in my trunk. When
you see the opening go into it ; I v^ill then close
it up ; and you will remain safe inside ; nor can
the wild beasts touch you." In a moment the
trunk of the tree was split into two. The
merchant's daughter and the old woman went
inside the hollow, on which the tree resumed its
natural shape. When the shades of night darkened
the forest the wild beasts came out of their lairs.
The fierce tiger was there ; the wild bear was
there ; the hard- skinned rhinoceros was there ;
the bushy bear was there ; the musty elephant
was there ; and the horned buffalo was there.
They all growled round about the tree, for they
got the scent of human blood. The merchant's
daughter and the old woman heard from within
the tree the growl of the beasts. The beasts came
dashing against the tree ; they broke its branches ;
they pierced its trunk with their horns ; they
scratched its bark with their claws : but in vain.
The merchant's daughter and her old nurse were
safe within. Towards dawn the wild beasts went
away. After sunrise the good tree said to her
two inmates, " Unhappy women, the wild beasts
have gone into their lairs after greatly tormenting
me. The sun is up ; you can now come out."
So saying the tree split itself into two, and the
merchant's daughter and the old woman came out.
They saw the extent of the mischief done by the

121

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL viii

wild beasts to the tree. Many of its branches had
been broken down ; in many places the trunk had
been pierced ; and in other places the bark had
been stripped off. The merchant's daughter said
to the tree, " Good mother, you are truly good to
give us shelter at such a fearful cost. You must
be in great pain from the torture to which the
wild beasts subjected you last night." So saying
she went to the tank which was near the tree, and
bringing thence a quantity of mud, she besmeared
the trunk with it, especially those parts which had
been pierced and scratched. After she had done
this, the tree said, " Thank you, my good girl, I
am now greatly relieved of my pain. I am,
however, concerned not so much about myself as
about you both. You must be hungry, not having
eaten the whole of yesterday. And what can I
give you ? I have no fruit of my own to give
you. Give to the old woman whatever money
you have, and let her go into the city hard by and
buy some food." They said they had no money.
On searching, however, in the work-box she
found five cowries? The tree then told the old
woman to go with the cowries to the city and buy
some khai."^ The old woman went to the city,
which was not far, and said to one confectioner,
" Please give me five cowries' worth of khaiy
The confectioner laughed at her and said, " Be ofl^
you old hag, do you think khai can be had for five
cowries ? " She tried another shop, and the shop-

^ Shells used as money, one hundred and sixty of which could have been
got a few years ago for one pice.
2 Fried paddy.

122

-!«•♦

^ ™"-

'ti^'^'-?2'^V^ -^" *■'*- ^"^-3^ -*^-

WAKWi '< Go Sue:

Hundreds of peacocks of gorgeous plumes came to
the embankments to eat the khai"

VIII THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR

keeper, thinking the woman to be in great distress,
compassionately gave her a large quantity of khai
for the five cowries.

When the old v^oman returned with the khai^
the tree said to the merchant's daughter, " Each
of you eat a little of the khai^ lay by more than
half, and strew the rest on the embankments of the
tank all round." They did as they were bidden,
though they did not understand the reason why
they were told to scatter the khai on the sides of
the tank. They spent the day in bewailing their
fate, and at night they were housed inside the
trunk of the tree as on the previous night. The
wild beasts came as before, further mutilated the
tree, and tortured it as in the preceding night.
But during the night a scene was being enacted
on the embankments of the tank of which the
two women saw the outcome only on the follow-
ing morning. Hundreds of peacocks of gorgeous
plumes came to the embankments to eat the khai
which had been strewed on them ; and as they
strove with each other for the tempting food
many of their plumes fell off their bodies. Early
in the morning the tree told the two women to
gather the plumes together, out of which the
merchant's daughter made a beautiful fan. This
fan was taken into the city to the palace, where
the son of the king admired it greatly and paid for
it a large sum of money. As each morning a
quantity of plumes was collected, every day one
fan was made and sold. So that in a short time

the two women got rich. The tree then advised

123

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL viii

them to employ men in building a house for them
to live in. Accordingly bricks were burnt, trees
were cut down for beams and rafters, bricks were
reduced to powder, lime was manufactured, and in
a few months a stately, palace-like house was built
for the merchant's daughter and her old nurse.
It was thought advisable to lay out the adjoining
grounds as a garden, and to dig a tank for supply-
ing them with water.

In the meantime the merchant himself with
his wife and six daughters had been frowned upon
by the goddess of wealth. By a sudden stroke of
misfortune he lost all his money, his house and
property were sold, and he, his wife, and six
daughters, were turned adrift penniless into the
world. It so happened that they lived in a village
not far from the place where the two strange
women had built a palace and were digging a tank.
As the once rich merchant was now supporting
his family by the pittance which he obtained
every day for his manual labour, he bethought
himself of employing himself as a day labourer in
digging the tank of the strange lady on the skirts
of the forest. His wife said she would also go to
dig the tank with him. So one day while the
strange lady was amusing herself from the window
of her palace with looking at the labourers
digging her tank, to her utter surprise she saw her
father and mother coming towards the palace,
apparently to engage themselves as day labourers.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked at them,

for they were clothed in rags. She immediately

124

III THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR

sent servants to bring them inside the house.
The poor man and woman were frightened beyond
measure. They saw that the tank was all ready ;
and as it was customary in those days to offer a
human sacrifice when the digging was over, they
thought that they were called inside in order to be
sacrificed. Their fears increased when they were
told to throw away their rags and to put on fine
clothes which were given to them. The strange
lady of the palace, however, soon dispelled their
fears ; for she told them that she was their
daughter, fell on their necks and wept. The rich
daughter related her adventures, and the father
felt she was right when she said that she lived
upon her own fortune and not on that of her
father. She gave her father a large fortune,
which enabled him to go to the city in which
he formerly lived, and to set himself up again as
a merchant.

The merchant now bethought himself of
going in his ship to distant countries for purposes
of trade. All was ready. He got on board, ready
to start, but, strange to say, the ship would not
move. The merchant was at a loss what to make
of this. At last the idea occurred to him that he
had asked each of his six daughters, who were
living with him, what thing she wished he should
bring for her ; but he had not asked that question
of his seventh daughter who had made him rich.
He therefore immediately despatched a messenger to
his youngest daughter, asking her what she wished
her father to bring for her on his return from his

125

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL viii

mercantile travels. When the messenger arrived

she was engaged in her devotions, and hearing that

a messenger had arrived from her father she said

to him " Sobur," meaning " wait." The messenger

understood that she wanted her father to bring for

her something called Sobur. He returned to the

merchant and told him that she wanted him to

bring for her Sobur. The ship now moved of

itself, and the merchant started on his travels.

He visited many ports, and by selling his goods

obtained immense profit. The things his six

daughters wanted him to bring for them he easily

got, but Sobur^ the thing which he understood his

youngest daughter wished to have, he could get

nowhere. He asked at every port whether Sobur

could be had there, but the merchants all told him

that they had never heard of such an article ot

commerce. At the last port he went through the

streets bawling out — " Wanted Sobur ! wanted

Sobur ! " The cry attracted the notice of the son

of the king of that country whose name was Sobur.

The prince, hearing from the merchant that his

daughter wanted Sobur, said that he had the article

in question, and bringing out a small box of wood

containing a magical fan with a looking-glass in it,

said — " This is Sobur which your daughter wishes

to have." The merchant having obtained the

long-wished-for Sobur weighed anchor, and sailed

for his native land. On his arrival he sent to his

youngest daughter the said wonderful box. The

daughter, thinking it to be a common wooden box,

laid it aside. Some days after when she was at

126

VIII THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR

leisure she bethought herself of opening the box
which her father had sent her. When she opened
it she saw in it a beautiful fan, and in it a looking-
glass. As she shook the fan, in a moment the
Prince Sobur stood before her, and said — "You
called me, here I am. What's your wish ? "
The merchant's daughter, astonished at the sudden
appearance of a prince of such exquisite beauty,
asked who he was, and how he had made his
appearance there. The prince told her of the
circumstances under which he gave the box to her
father, and informed her of the secret that when-
ever the fan would be shaken he would make his
appearance. The prince lived for a day or two
in the house of the merchant's daughter, who
entertained him hospitably. The upshot was,
that they fell in love with each other, and vowed
to each other to be husband and wife. The prince
returned to his royal father and told him that he
had selected a wife for himself. The day for the
wedding was fixed. The merchant and his six
daughters were invited. The nuptial knot was
tied. But there was death in the marriage-bed.
The six daughters of the merchant, envying the
happy lot of their youngest sister, had determined
to put an end to the life of her newly-wedded
husband. ^ They broke several bottles, reduced the
broken pieces into fine powder, and scattered it
profusely on the bed. The prince, suspecting no
danger, laid himself down in the bed ; but he had
scarcely been there two minutes when he felt
acute pain through his whole system, for the fine

127

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL viii

bottle-powder had gone through every pore of his
body. As the prince became restless through pain,
and was shrieking aloud, his attendants hastily
took him away to his own country.

The king and queen, the parents of Prince
Sobur, consulted all the physicians and surgeons
of the kingdom ; but in vain. The young prince
was day and night screaming with pain, and no
one could ascertain the disease, far less give him
relief. The grief of the merchant's daughter may
be imagined. The marriage knot had been scarcely
tied when her husband was attacked, as she thought,
by a terrible disease and carried away many
hundreds of miles off. Though she had never
seen her husband's country she determined to go
there and nurse him. She put on the garb of a
Sannyasi, and with a dagger in her hand set out
on her journey. Of tender years, and unaccustomed
to make long journeys on foot, she soon got weary
and sat under a tree to rest. On the top of the
tree was the nest of the divine bird Bihangama
and his mate Bihangami. They were not in their
nest at the time, but two of their young ones were
in it. Suddenly the young ones on the top of
the tree gave a scream which roused the half-
drowsy merchant's daughter whom we shall now
call the young Sannyasi. He saw near him a huge
serpent raising its hood and about to climb into
the tree. In a moment he cut the serpent into
two, on which the young birds left off screaming.
Shortly after the Bihangama and Bihangami came

sailing through the air ; and the latter said to the

128

VIII THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR

former — " I suppose our offspring as usual have
been devoured by our great enemy the serpent.
Ah me ! I do not hear the cries of my young
ones." On nearing the nest, however, they v^ere
agreeably surprised to find their offspring alive.
The young ones told their dams how the young
Sannyasi under the tree had destroyed the serpent.
And sure enough the snake was lying there cut
into two.

The Bihangami then said to her mate — "The
young Sannyasi has saved our offspring from death,
I wish we could do him some service in return."
The Bihangama replied, " We shall presently do
her service, for the person under the tree is not
a man but a woman. She got married only last
night to Prince Sobur, who, a few hours after,
when jumping into his bed, had every pore of his
body pierced with fine particles of ground bottles
which had been spread over his bed by his envious
sisters-in-law. He is still suffering pain in his
native land, and, indeed, is at the point of death.
And his heroic bride taking the garb of a Sannyasi
is going to nurse him." " But," asked the Bihan-
gami, " is there no cure for the prince ? " " Yes,
there is," replied the Bihangama : " if our dung
which is lying on the ground round about, and
which is hardened, be reduced to powder, and
applied by means of a brush to the body of the
prince after bathing him seven times with seven
jars of water and seven jars of milk. Prince Sobur
will undoubtedly get well." " But," asked the

Bihangami, " how can the poor daughter of the

129 K

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL viii

merchant walk such a distance ? It must take her

many days, by which time the poor prince will

have died." " I can," replied the Bihangama,

" take the young lady on my back, and put her in

the capital of Prince Sobur, and bring her back,

provided she does not take any presents there."

The merchant's daughter, in the garb of a Sannyasi,

heard this conversation between the two birds,

and begged the Bihangama to take her on his

back. To this the bird readily consented. Before

mounting on her aerial car she gathered a quantity

of birds' dung and reduced it to fine powder.

Armed with this potent drug she got up on the back

of the kind bird, and sailing through the air with

the rapidity of lightning, soon reached the capital of

Prince Sobur. The young Sannyasi went up to the

gate of the palace, and sent word to the king that

he was acquainted with potent drugs and would

cure the prince in a few hours. The king, who

had tried all the best doctors in the kingdom

without success, looked upon the Sannyasi as a

mere pretender, but on the advice of his councillors

agreed to give him a trial. The Sannyasi ordered

seven jars of water and seven jars of milk to be

brought to him. He poured the contents of all

the jars on the body of the prince. He then

applied, by means of a feather, the dung-powder

he had already prepared to every pore of the

prince's body. Thereafter seven jars of water and

seven jars of milk were again six times poured upon

him. When the prince's body was wiped, he felt

perfectly well. The king ordered that the richest

130

VIII THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR

treasures he had should be presented to the wonder-
ful doctor ; but the Sannyasi refused to take any.
He only wanted a ring from the prince's finger
to preserve as a memorial. The ring was readily
given him. The merchant's daughter hastened
to the sea-shore where the Bihangama was awaiting
her. In a moment they reached the tree of the
divine birds. Hence the young bride walked to her
house on the skirts of the forest. The following
day she shook the magical fan, and forthwith
Prince Sobur appeared before her. When the
lady showed him the ring, he learnt with infinite
surprise that his own wife was the doctor that
cured him. The prince took away his bride to
his palace in his far-off kingdom, forgave his
sisters-in-law, lived happily for scores of years,
and was blessed with children, grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren.

Thus my story endeth.

The Natiya-thom withereth^

etc.

131

IX
THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM ^

Once on a time there lived on the banks of the
holy Ganga a Rishi,^ who spent his days and
nights in the performance of religious rites and in
meditation upon God. From sunrise to sunset he
sat on the river bank engaged in devotion, and at
night he took shelter in a hut of palm-leaves which
his own hand had raised in a bush hard by. There
were no men and women for miles round. In the
hut, however, there was a mouse, which used to
live upon the leavings of the Rishi's supper. As it
was not in the nature of the sage to hurt any living
thing, our mouse never ran away from him, but,
on the contrary, went to him, touched his feet, and
played with him. The Rishi, partly in kindness
to the little brute, and partly to have some one by
to talk to at times, gave the mouse the power of
speech. One night the mouse, standing on its hind-
legs and joining together its fore-legs reverently,

* This story is not my own. It was recited to me by a story-teller of the
other sex who rejoices in the nom de flume "An Inmate of the Calcutta
Lunatic Asylum."

2 A holy sage.

132

IX THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM

said to the Rishi, " Holy sage, you have been so
kind as to give me the power to speak like men.
If it will not displease your reverence, I have one
more boon to ask." " What is it ? " said the Rishi.
" What is it, little mousie ? Say what you want."
The mouse answered — " When your reverence goes
in the day to the river-side for devotion, a cat
comes to the hut to catch me. And had it not
been for fear of your reverence, the cat would have
eaten me up long ago ; and I fear it will eat me
some day. My prayer is that I may be changed
into a cat that I may prove a match for my foe."
The Rishi became propitious to the mouse, and
threw some holy water on its body, and it was at
once changed into a cat.

Some nights after, the Rishi asked his pet,
" Well, little puss, how do you like your present
life .? " " Not much, your reverence," answered
the cat. " Why not ? " demanded the sage. " Are
you not strong enough to hold your own against all
the cats in the world ? " " Yes," rejoined the cat.
" Your reverence has made me a strong cat, able to
cope with all the cats in the world. But I do not
now fear cats ; I have got a new foe. Whenever
your reverence goes to the river-side, a pack of dogs
comes to the hut, and sets up such a loud barking
that I am frightened out of my life. If your
reverence will not be displeased with me, I beg
you to change me into a dog." The Rishi said,
" Be turned into a dog," and the cat forthwith
became a dog.

Some days passed, when one night the dog

133

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ix

said thus to the Rishi : " I cannot thank your
reverence enough for your kindness to me. I was
but a poor mouse, and you not only gave me speech
but turned me into a cat ; and again you vv^ere kind
enough to change me into a dog. As a dog, how-
ever, I suffer a great deal of trouble, I do not get
enough food : my only food is the leavings of your
supper, but that is not sufficient to fill the maw of
such a large beast as you have made me. O how
I envy those apes who jump about from tree to
tree, and eat all sorts of delicious fruits ! If your
reverence will not get angry with me, I pray that I be
changed into an ape." The kind-hearted sage readily
granted his pet's wish, and the dog became an ape.
Our ape was at first wild with joy. He leaped
from one tree to another, and sucked every luscious
fruit he could find. But his joy was short-lived.
Summer came on with its drought. As a monkey
he found it hard to drink water out of a river or of
a pool ; and he saw the wild boars splashing in the
water all the day long. He envied their lot, and
exclaimed, " O how happy those boars are ! All
day their bodies are cooled and refreshed by water.
I wish I were a boar." Accordingly at night he
recounted to the Rishi the troubles of the life of
an ape and the pleasures of that of a boar, and
begged of him to change him into a boar. The
sage, whose kindness knew no bounds, complied
with his pet's request, and turned him into a wild
boar. For two whole days our boar kept his body
soaking wet, and on the third day, as he was
splashing about in his favourite element, whom

134

IX THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM

should he see but the king of the country riding
on a richly caparisoned elephant. The king was
out hunting, and it was only by a lucky chance that
our boar escaped being bagged. He dwelt in his
own mind on the dangers attending the life of a
wild boar, and envied the lot of the stately elephant
who was so fortunate as to carry about the king
of the country on his back. He longed to be an
elephant, and at night besought the Rishi to make
him one.

Our elephant was roaming about in the wilder-
ness, when he saw the king out hunting. The
elephant went towards the king's suite with the
view of being caught. The king, seeing the
elephant at a distance, admired it on account of its
beauty, and gave orders that it should be caught
and tamed. Our elephant was easily caught, and
taken into the royal stables, and was soon tamed.
It so chanced that the queen expressed a wish to
bathe in the waters of the holy Ganga. The king,
who wished to accompany his royal consort, ordered
that the newly-caught elephant should be brought
to him. The king and queen mounted on his back.
One would suppose that the elephant had now got
his wishes, as the king had mounted on his back.
But no. There was a fly in the ointment. The
elephant, who looked upon himself as a lordly
beast, could not brook the idea that a woman,
though a queen, should ride on his back. He
thought himself degraded. He jumped up so
violently that both the king and queen fell to the
ground. The king carefully picked up the queen,

135

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ix

took her in his arms, asked her whether she had
been much hurt, wiped off the dust from her
clothes with his handkerchief, and tenderly kissed
her a hundred times. Our elephant, after witness-
ing the king's caresses, scampered off to the woods
as fast as his legs could carry him. As he ran he
thought within himself thus : " After all, I see that
a queen is the happiest of all creatures. Of what
infinite regard is she the object ! The king lifted
her up, took her in his arms, made many tender
inquiries, wiped off the dust from her clothes with
his own royal hands, and kissed her a hundred
times ! O the happiness of being a queen ! I
must tell the Rhisi to make me a queen ! " So
saying the elephant, after traversing the woods,
went at sunset to the Rishi's hut, and fell prostrate
on the ground at the feet of the holy sage. The
Rishi said, " Well, what's the news ? Why have
you left the king's stud ? " " What shall I say to
your reverence ? You have been very kind to me ;
you have granted every wish of mine. I have one
more boon to ask, and it will be the last. By
becoming an elephant I have got only my bulk
increased, but not my happiness. I see that of all
creatures a queen is the happiest in the world.
Do, holy father, make me a queen." "Silly
child," answered the Rishi, "how can I make you a
queen .? Where can I get a kingdom for you, and
a royal husband to boot .? All I can do is to
change you into an exquisitely beautiful girl,
possessed of charms to captivate the heart of a

prince, if ever the gods grant you an interview

136

IX THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM

with some great prince ! " Our elephant agreed
to the change ; and in a moment the sagacious
beast was transformed into a beautiful young
lady, to whom the holy sage gave the name of
Postomani, or the poppy-seed lady.

Postomani lived in the Rishi's hut, and spent
her time in tending the flowers and watering the
plants. One day, as she was sitting at the door of
the hut during the Rishi's absence, she saw a
man dressed in a very rich garb come towards the
cottage. She stood up and asked the stranger
who he was, and what he had come there for.
The stranger answered that he had come a-hunting
in those parts, that he had been chasing in vain a
deer, that he felt thirsty, and that he came to the
hut of the hermit for refreshment.

Postomani. Stranger, look upon this cot as
your own house. I'll do everything I can to
make you comfortable ; I am only sorry we are too
poor suitably to entertain a man of your rank, for
if I mistake not you are the king of this country.

The king smiled. Postomani then brought
out a water-pot, and made as if she would wash
the feet of her royal guest with her own hands,
when the king said, " Holy maid, do not touch
my feet, for I am only a Kshatriya, and you are
the daughter of a holy sage."

Postomani. Noble sir, I am not the daughter
of the Rishi, neither am I a Brahmani girl ; so
there can be no harm in my touching your feet.
Besides, you are my guest, and I am bound to
wash your feet.

137

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL ix

King. Forgive my impertinence. What caste
do you belong to ?

Postomani. I have heard from the sage that
my parents v^ere Kshatriyas.

King. May I ask you whether your father
was a king, for your uncommon beauty and your
stately demeanour show that you are a born
princess.

Postomani, without answering the question,
went inside the hut, brought out a tray of the
most delicious fruits, and set it before the king.
The king, however, would not touch the fruits
till the maid had answered his questions. When
pressed hard Postomani gave the following answer :
" The holy sage says that my father was a king.
Having been overcome in battle, he, along with
my mother, fled into the woods. My poor father
was eaten up by a tiger, and my mother at that
time was brought to bed of me, and she closed her
eyes as I opened mine. Strange to say, there was
a bee-hive on the tree at the foot of which I lay ;
drops of honey fell into my mouth and kept alive
the spark of life till the kind Rishi found me and
brought me into his hut. This is the simple story
of the wretched girl who now stands before the
king."

Ki?2g. Call not yourself wretched. You are
the loveliest and most beautiful of women. You
would adorn the palace of the mightiest sovereign.

The upshot was, that the king made love to
the girl and they were joined in marriage by the
Rishi. Postomani was treated as the favourite

138

" ' You would adorn the palace of the mightiest sovereign.'

THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM

queen, and the former queen was in disgrace.
Postomani's happiness, however, was short-lived.
One day as she was standing by a well, she became
giddy, fell into the water, and died. The Rishi
then appeared before the king and said : " O king,
grieve not over the past. What is fixed by fate
must come to pass. The queen, who has just
been drowned, was not of royal blood. She was
born a mouse ; I then changed her successivelv,
according to her own wish, into a cat, a dog, an
ape, a boar, an elephant, and a beautiful girl. Now
that she is gone, do you again take into favour
your former queen. As for my reputed daughter,
through the favour of the gods I'll make her
name immortal. Let her body remain in the
well ; fill the well up with earth. Out of her
flesh and bones will grow a tree which shall be
called after her Posto, that is, the Poppy tree.
From this tree will be obtained a drug called
opium, which will be celebrated as a powerful
medicine through all ages, and which will always
be either swallowed or smoked as a wonderful nar-
cotic to the end of time. The opium swallower
or smoker will have one quality of each of the
animals to which Postomani was transformed.
He will be mischievous like a mouse, fond of milk
like a cat, quarrelsome like a dog, filthy like an
ape, savage like a boar, and high-tempered like a
queen."

Thus my story encieth.

The Natty a-ihorn wither eth^ etc,

139

STRIKE BUT HEAR

Once upon a time there reigned a king who had
three sons. His subjects one day came to him and
said, " O incarnation of justice ! the kingdom is
infested with thieves and robbers. Our property
is not safe. We pray your majesty to catch hold
of these thieves and punish them." The king
said to his sons, " O my sons, I am old, but you
are all in the prime of manhood. How is it that
my kingdom is full of thieves ? I look to you to
catch hold of these thieves." The three princes
then made up their minds to patrol the city every
night. With this view they set up a station in
the outskirts of the city, where they kept their
horses. In the early part of the night the eldest
prince rode upon his horse and went through the
whole city, but did not see a single thief. He
came back to the station. About midnight the
second prince got upon his horse and rode through
every part of the city, but he did not see or hear
of a single thief. He came also back to the

station. Some hours after midnight the youngest

140

1"^=^

Bi!B?P!

,im»t^ - vrTi»

"He saw a beautiful woman coming out of the palace."

X STRIKE BUT HEAR

prince went the rounds, and when he came near
the gate of the palace where his father lived, he
saw a beautiful woman coming out of the palace.
The prince accosted the woman, and asked who
she was and where she was going at that hour
of the night. The woman answered, " I am
Rajlakshmi,^ the guardian deity of this palace.
The king will be killed this night. I am
therefore not needed here. I am going away."
The prince did not know what to make of this
message. After a moment's reflection he said to
the goddess, " But suppose the king is not killed
to-night, then have you any objection to return
to the palace and stay there ? " " I have no
objection," replied the goddess. The prince then
begged the goddess to go in, promising to do his
best to prevent the king from being killed. Then
the goddess entered the palace again, and in a
moment went the prince knew not whither.

The prince went straight into the bedroom of
his royal father. There he lay immersed in deep
sleep. His second and young wife, the stepmother
of our prince, was sleeping in another bed in the
room. A light was burning dimly. What was
his surprise when the prince saw a huge cobra
going round and round the golden bedstead on
which his father was sleeping. The prince with
his sword cut the serpent in two. Not satisfied
with killing the cobra, he cut it up into a hundred
pieces, and put them inside the pan dish ^ which

' The tutelary goddess of a king's household.

2 A vessel, made generally of brass, for keeping the pan leaf together with
betel-nut and other spices.

141

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL x

was in the room. While the prince was cutting

up the serpent a drop of blood fell on the breast

of his stepmother who was sleeping hard by.

The prince was in great distress. He said to

himself, " I have saved my father but killed my

mother." How was the drop of blood to be taken

out of his mother's breast ? He wrapped round

his tongue a piece of cloth sevenfold, and with it

licked up the drop of blood. But while he was

in the act of doing this, his stepmother woke up,

and opening her eyes saw that it was her stepson,

the youngest prince. The young prince rushed

out of the room. The queen, intending to ruin

the youngest prince, whom she hated, called out

to her husband, " My lord, my lord, are you

awake .? are you awake ? Rouse yourself up.

Here is a nice piece of business." The king on

awaking inquired what the matter was. " The

matter, my lord ? Your worthy son, the youngest

prince, of whom you speak so highly, was just

here. I caught him in the act of touching my

breast. Doubtless he came with a wicked intent.

And this is your worthy son ! " The king was

horror-struck. The prince went to the station to

his brothers, but told them nothing.

Early in the morning the king called his eldest

son to him and said, " If a man to whom I intrust

my honour and my life prove faithless, how

should he be punished .? " The eldest prince

replied, " Doubtless such a man's head should be

cut off; but before you kill, you should see

whether the man is really faithless." " What

142

X STRIKE BUT HEAR

do you mean ? " inquired the king. " Let your
majesty be pleased to listen," answered the prince.
" Once on a time there lived a goldsmith who
had a grown-up son. And this son had a wife
who had the rare faculty of understanding the
language of beasts ; but neither her husband nor
any one else knew that she had this uncommon
gift. One night she was lying in bed beside her
husband in their house, which was close to a river,
when she heard a jackal howl out, ' There goes a
carcase floating on the river ; is there any one who
will take off the diamond ring from the finger of
the dead man and give me the corpse to eat .? '
The woman understood the jackal's language, got up
from bed and went to the river-side. The husband,
who was not asleep, followed his wife at some
distance so as not to be observed by her. The
woman went into the water, tugged the floating
corpse towards the shore, and saw the diamond
ring on the finger. Unable to loosen it with her
hand, as the fingers of the dead body had swelled,
she bit it off with her teeth, and put the dead body
upon land. She then went to her bed, whither
she had been preceded by her husband. The
young goldsmith lay beside his wife almost petrified
with fear, for he concluded after what he saw that
his wife was not a human being but a Rakshasi.
He spent the rest of the night in tossing in his bed,
and early in the morning spoke to his father in the
following manner : * Father, the woman whom
thou hast given me to wife is not a real woman but
a Rakshasi. Last night as I was lying in bed with

143

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL x

her, I heard outside the house, towards the river-
side, a jackal set up a fearful howl. On this she,
thinking that I was asleep, got up from bed, opened
the door, and went out to the river-side. Surprised
to see her go out alone at the dead hour of night,
I suspected evil and followed her, but so that she
could not see me. What did she do, do you think .?
O horror of horrors ! She went into the stream,
dragged towards the shore the dead body of a man
which was floating by, and began to eat it ! I saw
this with mine own eyes. I then returned home
while she was feasting upon the carcase, and jumped
into bed. In a few minutes she also returned,
bolted the door, and lay beside me. O my father,
how can I live with a Rakshasi .? She will
certainly kill me and eat me up one night.' The
old goldsmith was not a little shocked to hear this
account. Both father and son agreed that the
woman should be taken into the forest and there
left to be devoured by wild beasts. Accordingly
the young goldsmith spoke to his wife thus :
' My dear love, you had better not cook much
this morning ; only boil rice and burn a brinjal,
for I must take you to-day to see your father
and mother, who are dying to see you.' At
the mention of her father's house she became
full of joy, and finished the cooking in no time.
The husband and wife snatched a hasty breakfast
and started on their journey. The way lay
through a dense jungle, in which the gold-
smith bethought himself of leaving his wife alone

to be eaten up by wild beasts. But while they

144

vyAR.wtrK Goaue.

Husband, take up all this large quantity of gold
and these precious stones.' "

X STRIKE BUT HEAR

were passing through this jungle the woman heard
a serpent hiss, the meaning of which hissing, as
understood by her, was as follows : ' O passer-by,
how thankful should I be to you if you would catch
hold of that croaking frog in yonder hole, which
is full of gold and precious stones, and give me the
frog to swallow, and you take the gold and precious
stones.' The woman forthwith made for the frog,
and began digging the hole with a stick. The
young goldsmith was now quaking with fear,
thinking his Rakshasi-wife was about to kill him.
She called out to him and said, ' Husband, take up
all this large quantity of gold and these precious
stones.' The goldsmith, not knowing what to
make of it, timidly went to the place, and to his
infinite surprise saw the gold and the precious
stones. They took up as much as they could.
On the husband's asking his wife how she came to
know of the existence of all this riches, she said
that she understood the language of animals, and
that the snake coiled up hard by had informed her
of it. The goldsmith, on finding out what an
accomplished wife he was blessed with, said to her,
' My love, it has got very late to-day ; it would be
impossible to reach your father's house before
nightfall, and we may be devoured by wild beasts
in the jungle ; I propose therefore that we both
return home.' It took them a long time to reach
home, for they were laden with a large quantity of
gold and precious stones. On coming near the
house, the goldsmith said to his wife, * My dear,
you go by the back door, while I go by the front

145 L

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL x

door and see my father in his shop and show him
all this gold and these precious stones.' So she
entered the house by the back door, and the
moment she entered she was met by the old
goldsmith, who had come that minute into the
house for some purpose with a hammer in his
hand. The old goldsmith, when he saw his
Rakshasi daughter-in-law, concluded in his mind
that she had killed and swallowed up his son. He
therefore struck her on the head with the hammer,
and she immediately died. That moment the son
came into the house, but it was too late. Hence
it is that I told your majesty that before you cut
off a man's head you should inquire whether the
man is really guilty."

The king then called his second son to him,
and said, " If a man to whom I intrust my honour
and my life prove faithless, how should he be
punished ? " The second prince replied, " Doubt-
less such a man's head should be cut off, but before
you kill you should see whether the man is really
faithless." " What do you mean .? " inquired the
king. " Let your majesty be pleased to listen,"
answered the prince.

" Once on a time there reigned a king who was

very fond of going out a-hunting. Once while he

was out hunting his horse took him into a dense

forest far from his followers. He rode on and on,

and did not see either villages or towns. He

became very thirsty, but he could see neither pond,

lake, nor stream. At last he found something

dripping from the top of a tree. Concluding it to

146

X STRIKE BUT HEAR

be rain-water which had rested in some cavity of

the tree, he stood on horseback under the tree and

caught the dripping contents in a small cup. It

was, however, no rain-water. A huge cobra,

which was on the top of the tree, was dashing in

rage its fangs against the tree ; and its poison was

coming out and was falling in drops. The king,

however, thought it was rain-water ; though his

horse knew better. When the cup was nearly

filled with the liquid snake-poison, and the king

was about to drink it off, the horse, to save the life

of his royal master, so moved about that the cup

fell from the king's hand and all the liquid spilled

about. The king became very angry with his

horse, and with his sword gave a cut to the horse's

neck, and the horse died immediately. Hence it

is that I told your majesty that before you cut off a

man's head you should inquire whether the man

is really guilty."

The king then called to him his third and
youngest son, and said, " If a man to whom I
intrust my honour and my life prove faithless, how
should he be punished ? " The youngest prince
replied, " Doubtless such a man's head should be cut
off, but before you kill you should see whether the
man is really faithless." " What do you mean ? "
inquired the king. '* Let your majesty be pleased
to listen," answered the prince.

" Once on a time there reigned a king who had in
his palace a remarkable bird of the Suka species.
One day as the Suka went out to the fields for an
airmg, he saw his dad and dam, who pressed him

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL x

to come and spend some days with them in their
nest in some far-off land. The Suka answered he
would be very happy to come, but he could not go
without the king's leave ; he added that he would
speak to the king that very day, and would be
ready to go the following morning if his dad and
dam would come to that very spot. The Suka
spoke to the king, and the king gave leave with
reluctance as he was very fond of the bird. So
the next morning the Suka met his dad and dam
at the place appointed, and went with them to his
paternal nest on the top of some high tree in a far-
off land. The three birds lived happily together
for a fortnight, at the end of which period the
Suka said to his dad and dam, ' My beloved parents,
the king granted me leave only for a fortnight,
and to-day the fortnight is over : to-morrow I
must start for the city of the king.' His dad and
dam readily agreed to the reasonable proposal, and
told him to take a present to the king. After
laying their heads together for some time they
agreed that the present should be a fruit of the
tree of Immortality. So early next morning the
Suka plucked a fruit off the tree of Immortality,
and carefully catching it in his beak, started on his
aerial journey. As he had a heavy weight to
carry, the Suka was not able to reach the city of
the king that day, and was benighted on the road.
He took shelter in a tree, and was at a loss to know
where to keep the fruit. If he kept it in his beak
it was sure, he thought, to fall out when he fell

asleep. Fortunately he saw a hole in the trunk of

148

X STRIKE BUT HEAR

the tree in which he had taken shelter, and
accordingly put the fruit in it. It so happened
that in that hole there was a snake ; in the course
of the night the snake darted its fangs on the fruit,
and thus besmeared it with its poison. Early
before crow-cawing the Suka, suspecting nothing,
took up the fruit of Immortality in its beak, and
began his aerial voyage. The Suka reached the
palace while the king was sitting with his
ministers. The king was delighted to see his pet
bird come again, and greatly admired the beautiful
fruit which the Suka had brought as a present.
The fruit was very fair to look at ; it was the
loveliest fruit in all the earth ; and as its name
implies it makes the eater of it immortal. The
king was going to eat it, but his courtiers said that
it was not advisable for the king to eat it, as it
might be a poisonous fruit. He accordingly threw
it to a crow which was perched on the wall ; the
crow ate a part of it ; but in a moment the crow
fell down and died. The king, imagining that
the Suka had intended to take away his life, took
hold of the bird and killed it. The king ordered
the stone of the deadly fruit, as it was thought to
be, to be planted in a garden outside the city.
The stone in course of time became a large tree
bearing lovely fruit. The king ordered a fence to
be put round the tree, and placed a guard lest
people should eat of the fruit and die. There
lived in that city an old Brahman and his wife,
who used to live upon charity. The Brahman one
day mourned his hard lot, and told his wife that

149

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL x

instead of leading the wretched life of a beggar he
would eat the fruit of the poisonous tree in the
king's garden and thus end his days. So that very-
night he got up from his bed in order to get into
the king's garden. His wife, suspecting her
husband's intention, followed him, resolved also to
eat of the fruit and die with her husband. As at
that dead hour of night the guard was asleep, the
old Brahman plucked a fruit and ate it. The
woman said to her husband, ' If you die what is
the use of my life ? I'll also eat and die.' So
saying she plucked a fruit and ate it. Thinking
that the poison would take some time to produce
its due effect, they both went home and lay in bed,
supposing that they would never rise again. To
their infinite surprise next morning they found
themselves to be not only alive, but young and
vigorous. Their neighbours could scarcely re-
cognise them — they had become so changed.
The old Brahman had become handsome and
vigorous, no grey hairs, no wrinkles on his cheeks ;
and as for his wife, she had become as beautiful as
any lady in the king's household. The king,
hearing of this wonderful change, sent for the old
Brahman, who told him all the circumstances.
The king then greatly lamented the sad fate of his
pet bird, and blamed himself for having killed it
without fully inquiring into the case.

" Hence it is," continued the youngest prince,
" that I told your majesty that before you cut off
a man's head you should inquire whether the man

is really guilty. I know your majesty thinks that

150

X STRIKE BUT HEAR

last night I entered your chamber with wicked
intent. Be pleased to hear me before you strike.
Last night as I was on my rounds I saw a female
figure come out of the palace. On challenging
her she said that she was Rajlakshmi, the guardian
deity of the palace ; and that she was leaving the
palace as the king would be killed that night. I
told her to come in, and that I would prevent the
king from being killed. I went straight into
your bedroom, and saw a large cobra going round
and round your golden bedstead. I killed the
cobra, cut it up into a hundred pieces, and put
them in the pan dish. But while I was cutting
up the snake, a drop of its blood fell on the breast
of my mother ; and then I thought that while I
had saved my father I had killed my mother. I
wrapped round my tongue a piece of cloth seven-
fold and licked up the drop of blood. While I
was licking up the blood, my mother opened her
eyes and noticed me. This is what I have done ;
now cut off my head if your majesty wishes it."

The king filled with joy and gratitude
embraced his son, and from that time loved him
more even than he had loved him before.

Thus my story endeth.

The Natiya-thorn withereth, etc.

151

THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES
AND OF THEIR SONS

PART I

Once on a time there lived two thieves in a village
who earned their livelihood by stealing. As they
were well-known thieves, every act of theft in the
village was ascribed to them whether they com-
mitted it or not ; they therefore left the village,
and, being resolved to support themselves by honest
labour, went to a neighbouring town for service.
Both of them were engaged by a householder ;
the one had to tend a cow, and the other to water
a champaka plant. The elder thief began watering
the plant early in the morning, and as he had been
told to go on pouring water till some of it collected
itself round the foot of the plant he went on
pouring bucketful after bucketful : but to no
purpose. No sooner was the water poured on the
foot of the plant than it was forthwith sucked
up by the thirsty earth ; and it was late in the
afternoon when the thief, tired with drawing

water, laid himself down on the ground, and fell

152

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

asleep. The younger thief fared no better. The
cow which he had to tend was the most vicious
in the whole country. When taken out of the
village for pasturage it galloped away to a great
distance with its tail erect ; it ran from one paddy-
field to another, and ate the corn and trod upon
it; it entered into sugar-cane plantations and
destroyed the sweet cane ; — for all which damage
and acts of trespass the neatherd was soundly rated
by the owners of the fields. What with running
after the cow from field to field, from pool to pool ;
what with the abusive language poured not only
upon him, but upon his forefathers up to the
fourteenth generation, by the owners of the fields
in which the corn had been destroyed, — the
younger thief had a miserable day of it. After a
world of trouble he succeeded about sunset in
catching hold of the cow, which he brought back
to the house of his master. The elder thief had
just roused himself from sleep when he saw the
younger one bringing in the cow. Then the elder
said to the younger — " Brother, why are you so
late in coming from the fields ? "

Younger. What shall I say, brother ? I took
the cow to that part of the meadow where there
is a tank, near which there is a large tree. I let
the cow loose, and it began to graze about without
giving the least trouble. I spread my gamchha ^
upon the grass under the tree ; and there was such
a delicious breeze that I soon fell asleep, and I did
not wake till after sunset ; and when I awoke I

1 A towel used in bathing.

^53

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

saw my good cow grazing contentedly at the
distance of a few paces. But how did you fare,
brother ?

'Elder. Oh, as for me, I had a jolly time of it.
I had poured only one bucketful of water on the
plant, when a large quantity rested round it. So my
work was done, and I had the whole day to myself.
I laid myself down on the ground ; I meditated
on the joys of this new mode of life ; I whistled ;
I sang ; and at last fell asleep. And I am up only
this moment.

When this talk was ended, the elder thief,
believing that what the younger thief had said was
true, thought that tending the cow was more
comfortable than watering the plant ; and the
younger thief, for the same reason, thought that
watering the plant was more comfortable than
tending the cow : each therefore resolved to ex-
change his own work for that of the other.

Elder. Well, brother, I have a wish to tend
the cow. Suppose to-morrow you take my work,
and I yours. Have you any objection .?

Tounger. Not the slightest, brother. I shall
be glad to take up your work, and you are quite
welcome to take up mine. Only let me give you
a bit of advice. I felt it rather uncomfortable to
sleep nearly the whole of the day on the bare
ground. If you take a charpoy^ with you, you
will have a merry time of it.

Early the following morning the elder thief
went out with the cow to the fields, not forgetting

1 A sort of bed made of rope, supported by posts of wood.

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

to take with him a charpoy for his ease and comfort ;
and the younger thief began watering the plant.
The latter had thought that one bucketful, or at
the outside two bucketfuls, of water would be
enough. But what was his surprise when he
found that even a hundred bucketfuls were not
sufficient to saturate the ground around the roots
of the plant. He was dead tired with drawing
water. The sun was almost going down, and yet
his work was not over. At last he gave it up
through sheer weariness.

The elder thief in the fields was in no better
case. He took the cow beside the tank which
the younger thief had spoken of, put his charpoy
under the large tree hard by, and then let the cow
loose. As soon as the cow was let loose it went
scampering about in the meadow, jumping over
hedges and ditches, running through paddy-fields,
and injuring sugar-cane plantations. The elder
thief was not a little put about. He had to run
about the whole day, and to be insulted by the
people whose fields had been trespassed upon.
But the worst of it was, that our thief had to
run about the meadow with the charpoy on his
head, for he could not put it anywhere for fear it
should be taken away. When the other neatherds
who were in the meadow saw the elder thief
running about in breathless haste after the cow
with the charpoy on his head, they clapped their
hands and raised shouts of derision. The poor
fellow, hungry and angry, bitterly repented of the
exchange he had made. After infinite trouble,

155

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

and with the help of the other neatherds, he at
last caught hold of the precious cow, and brought
it home long after the village lamps had been lit.

When the two thieves met in the house of
their master, they merely laughed at each other
without speaking a word. Their dinner over, they
laid themselves to rest, when there took place the
following conversation : —

Younger. Well, how did you fare, brother 1

'Elder. Just as you fared, and perhaps some
degrees better.

Younger. I am of opinion that our former
trade of thieving was infinitely preferable to this
sort of honest labour, as people call it.

Elder. What doubt is there of that ? But, by
the gods, I have never seen a cow which can be
compared to this. It has no second in the world
in point of viciousness.

Younger. A vicious cow is not a rare thing.
I have seen some cows as vicious. But have you
ever seen a plant like this champaka plant which
you were told to water ? I wonder what becomes
of all the water that is poured round about it.
Is there a tank below its roots ?

Elder. I have a good mind to dig round it
and see what is beneath it.

Younger. We had better do so this night when
the good man of the house and his wife are asleep.

At about midnight the two thieves took spades

and shovels and began digging round the plant.

After digging a good deal the younger thief

lighted upon some hard thing against which the

156

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

shovel struck. The curiosity of both was excited.
The younger thief saw that it was a large jar ; he
thrust his hand into it and found that it was full
of gold mohurs. But he said to the elder thief —
" Oh, it is nothing ; it is only a large stone."
The elder thief, however, suspected that it was
something else ; but he took care not to give vent
to his suspicion. Both agreed to give up digging
as they had found nothing ; and they went to sleep.
An hour or two after, when the elder thief saw
that the younger thief was asleep, he quietly got
up and went to the spot which had been digged.
He saw the jar filled with gold mohurs. Digging
a little near it, he found another jar also filled with
gold mohurs. Overjoyed to find the treasure, he
resolved to secure it. He took up both the jars,
went to the tank which was near, and from which
water used to be drawn for the plant, and buried
them in the mud of its bank. He then returned
to the house, and quietly laid himself down beside
the younger thief, who was then fast asleep. The
younger thief, who had first found the jar of gold
mohurs, now woke, and softly stealing out of bed,
went to secure the treasure he had seen. On
going to the spot he did not see any jar ; he
therefore naturally thought that his companion
the elder thief had secreted it somewhere. He
went to his sleeping partner, with a view to
discover if possible by any marks on his body the
place where the treasure had been hidden. He
examined the person of his friend with the eye of
a detective, and saw mud on his feet and near the

157

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

ankles. He immediately concluded the treasure

must have been concealed somewhere in the tank.

But in what part of the tank ? on which bank ?

His ingenuity did not forsake him here. He

walked round all the four banks of the tank.

When he walked round three sides, the frogs on

them jumped into the water ; but no frogs jumped

from the fourth bank. He therefore concluded that

the treasure must have been buried on the fourth

bank. In a little he found the two jars filled

with gold mohurs ; he took them up, and going

into the cow-house brought out the vicious cow

he had tended, and put the two jars on its back.

He left the house and started for his native village.

When the elder thief at crow-cawing got up

from sleep, he was surprised not to find his

companion beside him. He hastened to the tank

and found that the jars were not there. He went

to the cow-house, and did not see the vicious cow.

He immediately concluded the younger thief must

have run away with the treasure on the back of

the cow. And where could he think of going .?

He must be going to his native village. No

sooner did this process of reasoning pass through

his mind than he resolved forthwith to set out

and overtake the younger thief. As he passed

through the town, he invested all the money he

had in a costly pair of shoes covered with gold

lace. He walked very fast, avoiding the pubhc

road and making short cuts. He descried the

younger thief trudging on slowly with his cow.

He went before him in the highway about a

158

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

distance of 200 yards, and threw down on the road
one shoe. He walked on another 200 yards and
threw the other shoe at a place near which was a
large tree ; amid the thick leaves of that tree he
hid himself The younger thief coming along
the public road saw the first shoe and said to
himself— " What a beautiful shoe that is! It is
of gold lace. It would have suited me in my
present circumstances now that I have got rich.
But what shall I do with one shoe .? " So he
passed on. In a short time he came to the place
where the other shoe was lying. The younger
thief said within himself—" Ah, here is the other
shoe ! What a fool I was, that I did not pick up
the one I first saw ! However it is not too late.
I'll tie the cow to yonder tree and go for the other
shoe." He tied the cow to the tree, and taking
up the second shoe went for the first, lying at a
distance of about 200 yards. In the meantime the
elder thief got down from the tree, loosened the
cow, and drove it towards his native village,
avoiding the king's highway. The younger thief
on returning to the tree found that the cow was
gone. He of course concluded that it could have
been done only by the elder thief He walked as
fast as his legs could carry him, and reached his
native village long before the elder thief with
the cow. He hid himself near the door of the
elder thiefs house. The moment the elder thief
arrived with the cow, the younger thief accosted
him, saying— "So you are come safe, brother.
Let us go in and divide the money." To this

159

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

proposal the elder thief readily agreed. In the
inner yard of the house the two jars were taken down
from the back of the cow ; they went to a room,
bolted the door, and began dividing. Two mohurs
were taken up by the hand, one was put in one
place, and the other in another ; and they went on
doing that till the jars became empty. But last
of all one gold mohur remained. The question
was — Who was to take it .? Both agreed that
it should be changed the next morning, and the
silver cash equally divided. But with whom was
the single mohur to remain .? There was not a
little wrangling about the matter. After a great
deal of yea and nay, it was settled that it should
remain with the elder thief, and that next morn-
ing it should be changed and equally divided.

At night the elder thief said to his wife and the
other women of the house, " Look here, ladies,
the younger thief will come to-morrow morning
to demand the share of the remaining gold mohur ;
but I don't mean to give it to him. You do one
thing to-morrow. Spread a cloth on the ground
in the yard. I will lay myself on the cloth pretend-
ing to be dead ; and to convince people that I
am dead, put a tulasi^ plant near my head. And
when you see the younger thief coming to the
door, you set up a loud cry and lamentation. Then
he will of course go away, and I shall not have to
pay his share of the gold mohur." To this proposal
the women readily agreed. Accordingly the next
day, about noon, the elder thief laid himself down

^ The sacred basil.
1 60

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

in the yard like a corpse with the sacred basil near
his head. When the younger thief was seen coming
near the house, the women set up a loud cry, and
when he came nearer and nearer, wondering what
it all meant, they said, " Oh, where did you both
go ? What did you bring ? What did you do to
him ? Look, he is dead ! " So saying they rent
the air with their cries. The younger thief, seeing
through the whole, said, " Well, I am sorry my
friend and brother is gone. I must now attend to
his funeral. You all go away from this place, you
are but women. I'll see to it that the remains are
well burnt." He brought a quantity of straw and
twisted it into a rope, which he fastened to the legs
of the deceased man, and began tugging him,
saying that he was going to take him to the place
of burning. While the elder thief was being
dragged through the streets, his body was getting
dreadfully scratched and bruised, but he held his
peace, being resolved to act his part out, and thus
escape giving the share of the gold mohur. The
sun had gone down when the younger thief with
the corpse reached the place of burning. But as
he was making preparations for a funeral pile, he
remembered that he had not brought fire with
him. If he went for fire leaving the elder thief
behind, he would undoubtedly run away. What
then was to be done ? At last he tied the straw
rope to the branch of a tree, and kept the pretended
corpse hanging in the air, and he himself climbed
into the tree and sat on that branch, keeping tight
hold of the rope lest it should break, and the elder

l6l M

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

thief run away. While they were in this state, a

gang of robbers passed by. On seeing the corpse

hanging, the head of the gang said, " This raid of

ours has begun very auspiciously. Brahmans and

Pandits say that if on starting on a journey one sees

a corpse, it is a good omen. Well, we have seen a

corpse, it is therefore likely that we shall meet

with success this night. If we do, I propose one

thing : on our return let us first burn this dead

body and then return home." All the robbers

agreed to this proposal. The robbers then entered

into the house of a rich man in the village, put its

inmates to the sword, robbed it of all its treasures,

and withal managed it so cleverly that not a mouse

stirred in the village. As they were successful

beyond measure, they resolved on their return to

burn the dead body they had seen. When they

came to the place of burning they found the corpse

hanging as before, for the elder thief had not yet

opened his mouth lest he should be obliged to give

half of the gold mohur. The thieves dug a

hollow in the ground, brought fuel, and laid it

upon the hollow. They took down the corpse

from the tree, and laid it upon the pile ; and as

they were going to set it on fire, the corpse gave out

an unearthly scream and jumped up. That very

moment the younger thief jumped down from the

tree with a similar scream. The robbers were

frightened beyond measure. They thought that a

Da?ia (evil spirit) had possessed the corpse, and

that a ghost jumped down from the tree. They

ran away in great fear, leaving behind them the

162

" They ran away in great fear, leaving behind them
the money and jewels,"

J
(B

•i
\

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

money and the jewels which they had obtained by
robbery. The two thieves laughed heartily, took
up all the riches of the robbers, went home, and
lived merrily for a long time.

PART II

The elder thief and the younger thief had one

son each. As they had been so far successful in

life by practising the art of thieving, they resolved

to train up their sons to the same profession.

There was in the village a Professor of the Science

of Roguery, who took pupils, and gave them

lessons in that difficult science. The two thieves

put their sons under this renowned Professor. The

son of the elder thief distinguished himself very

much, and bade fair to surpass his father in the art

of stealing. The lad's cleverness was tested in the

following manner. Not far from the Professor's

house there lived a poor man in a hut, upon the

thatch of which climbed a creeper of the gourd

kind. In the middle of the thatch, which was

also its topmost part, there was a splendid gourd,

which the man and his wife watched day and

night. They certainly slept at night, but then the

thatch was so old and rickety that if even a mouse

went up to it bits of straw and particles of earth

used to fall inside the hut, and the man and his

wife slept right below the spot where the gourd

was ; so that it was next to impossible to steal the

gourd without the knowledge of its owners. The

Professor said to his pupils — for he had many —

163

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

that any one who stole the gourd without being
caught would be pronounced the dux of the school.
Our elder thief's son at once accepted the offer.
He said he would steal away the gourd if he were
allowed the use of three things, namely, a string,
a cat, and a knife. The Professor allowed him the
use of these three things. Two or three hours
after nightfall, the lad, furnished with the three
things mentioned above, sat behind the thatch
under the eaves, listening to the conversation
carried on by the man and his wife lying in bed
inside the hut. In a short time the conversation
ceased. The lad then concluded that they must
both have fallen asleep. He waited half an hour
longer, and hearing no sound inside, gently climbed
up on the thatch. Chips of straw and particles of
earth fell upon the couple sleeping inside. The
woman woke up, and rousing her husband said,
" Look there, some one is stealing the gourd ! "
That moment the lad squeezed the throat of the
cat, and puss immediately gave out her usual
" Mew ! mew ! mew! " The husband said, " Don't
you hear the cat mewing ? There is no thief; it
is only a cat." The lad in the meantime cut the
gourd from the plant with his knife, and tied the
string which he had with him to its stalk. But
how was he to get down without being discovered
and caught, especially as the man and the woman
were now awake .? The woman was not convinced
that it was only a cat ; the shaking of the thatch,
and the constant falling of bits of straw and particles

of dust, made her think that it was a human being

164

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

that was upon the thatch. She was telling her
husband to go out and see whether a man was not
there ; but he maintained that it was only a cat.
While the man and woman were thus disputing with
each other, the lad with great force threw down the
cat upon the ground, on which the poor animal
purred most vociferously ; and the man said aloud to
his wife, " There it is ; you are now convinced that
it was only a cat." In the meantime, during the
confusion created by the clamour of the cat and the
loud talk of the man, the lad quietly came down
from the thatch with the gourd tied to the string.
Next morning the lad produced the gourd before
his teacher, and described to him and to his
admiring comrades the manner in which he had
committed the theft. The Professor was in ecstasy,
and remarked, " The worthy son of a worthy
father." But the elder thief, the father of our
hopeful genius, was by no means satisfied that his
son was as yet fit to enter the world. He wanted
to prove him still further. Addressing his son he
said, "My son, if you can do what I tell you, I'll
think you fit to enter the world. If you can steal
the gold chain of the queen of this country from
her neck, and bring it to me, I'll think you fit to
enter the world." The gifted son readily agreed
to do the daring deed.

The young thief — for so we shall now call the
son of the elder thief — made a reconnaissance of
the palace in which the king and queen lived.
He reconnoitred all the four gates, and all the
outer and inner walls as far as he could ; and

165

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

gathered incidentally a good deal of information,
from people living in the neighbourhood, regarding
the habits of the king and queen, in what part of
the palace they slept, what guards there were
near the bedchamber, and who, if any, slept in the
antechamber. Armed with all this knowledge
the young thief fixed upon one dark night for
doing the daring deed. He took with him a
sword, a hammer and some large nails, and put
on very dark clothes. Thus accoutred he went
prowling about the Lion gate of the palace.
Before the zenana ^ could be got at, four doors,
including the Lion gate, had to be passed ; and
each of these doors had a guard of sixteen stalwart
men. The same men, however, did not remain
all night at their post. As the king had an infinite
number of soldiers at his command, the guards at
the doors were relieved every hour ; so that once
every hour at each door there were thirty-two
men present, consisting of the relieving party and
of the relieved. The young thief chose that
particular moment of time for entering each of
the four doors. At the time of relief when he
saw the Lion gate crowded with thirty-two men,
he joined the crowd without being taken notice
of; he then spent the hour preceding the next
relief in the large open space and garden between
two doors ; and he could not be taken notice of, as
the night as well as his clothes was pitch dark.

^ Zenana is not the name of a province in India, as the good people of
Scotland the other day took it to be, but the innermost department of a
Hindu or Mohammedan house which the women occupy.

1 66

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

In a similar manner he passed the second door,
the third door, and the fourth door. And now
the queen's bedchamber stared him in the face.
It was in the third loft ; there was a bright light
in it ; and a low voice was heard as that of a
woman saying something in a humdrum manner.
The young thief thought that the voice must be
the voice of a maid-servant reciting a story, as he
had learnt was the custom in the palace every
night, for composing the king and queen to sleep.
But how to get up into the third loft ? The inner
doors were all closed, and there were guards
everywhere. But the young thief had with him
nails and a hammer : why not drive the nails into
the wall and climb up by them ? True ; but the
driving of nails into the wall would make a great
noise which would rouse the guards, and possibly
the king and queen, — at any rate the maid-servant
reciting stories would give the alarm. Our
erratic genius had considered that matter well
before engaging in the work. There is a water-
clock in the palace which shows the hours ; and
at the end of every hour a very large Chinese
gong is struck, the sound of which is so loud that
it is not only heard all over the palace, but over
most part of the city ; and the peculiarity of the
gong, as of every Chinese gong, was that nearly
one minute must elapse after the first stroke before
the second stroke could be made, to allow the
gong to give out the whole of its sound. The
thief fixed upon the minutes when the gong was

struck at the end of every hour for driving nails

167

* FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

into the wall. At ten o'clock when the gong was
struck ten times, the thief found it easy to drive
ten nails into the wall. When the gong stopped,
the thief also stopped, and either sat or stood quiet
on the ninth nail catching hold of the tenth which
was above the other. At eleven o'clock he drove
into the wall in a similar manner eleven nails, and
got a little higher than the second story ; and by
twelve o'clock he was in the loft where the royal
bedchamber was. Peeping in he saw a drowsy
maid -servant drowsily reciting a story, and the
king and queen apparently asleep. He went
stealthily behind the story-telling maid-servant
and took his seat. The queen was lying down
on a richly furnished bedstead of gold beside the
king. The massive chain of gold round the neck
of the queen was gleaming in candle-light. The
thief quietly listened to the story of the drowsy
maid - servant. She was becoming more and
more sleepy. She stopped for a second, nodded
her head, and again resumed the story. It was
plain she was under the influence of sleep. In
a moment the thief cut off the head of the maid-
servant with his sword, and himself went on
reciting for some minutes the story which the
woman was telling. The king and queen were
unconscious of any change as to the person of the
story-teller, for they were both in deep sleep. He
stripped the murdered woman of her clothes, put
them on himself, tied up his own clothes in a
bundle, and walking softly, gently took off the

chain from the neck of the queen. He then went

i68

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

through the rooms down stairs, ordered the inner
guard to open the door, as she was obliged
to go out of the palace for purposes of necessity.
The guards, seeing that it was the queen's maid-
servant, readily allowed her to go out. In the
same manner, and with the same pretext, he got
through the other doors, and at last out into the
street. That very night, or rather morning, the
young thief put into his father's hand the gold
chain of the queen. The elder thief could scarcely
believe his own eyes. It was so like a dream. His
joy knew no bounds. Addressing his son he
said — " Well done, my son ; you are not only as
clever as your father, but you have beaten me
hollow. The gods give you long life, my son."

Next morning when the king and queen got
up from bed, they were shocked to see the maid-
servant lying in a pool of blood. The queen also
found that her gold chain was not round her neck.
They could not make out how all this could have
taken place. How could any thief manage to
elude the vigilance of so many guards ? How
could he get into the queen's bedchamber ? And
how could he again escape ? The king found
from the reports of the guards that a person
calling herself the royal maid-servant had gone out
of the palace some hours before dawn. All sorts
of inquiries were made, but in vain. Proclamation
was made in the city ; a large reward was offered
to any one who would give information tending to
the apprehension of the thief and murderer. But

no one responded to the call. At last the king

169

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

ordered a camel to be brought to him. On the
back of the animal was placed two large bags
filled with gold mohurs. The man taking charge
of the bags upon the camel was ordered to go
through every part of the city making the follow-
ing challenge : — " As the thief was daring enough
to steal away a gold chain from the neck of
the queen, let him further show his daring by
stealing the gold mohurs from the back of this
camel." Two days and nights the camel paraded
through the city, but nothing happened. On the
third night as the camel- driver was going his
rounds he was accosted by a sannyasi^ who sat on
a tiger's skin before a fire, and near whom was
a monstrous pair of tongs. This santiyasi was no
other than the young thief in disguise. The
samiyasi said to the camel-driver — " Brother, why
are you going through the city in this manner .?
Who is there so daring as to steal from the back
of the king's camel .? Come down, friend, and
smoke with me." The camel-driver alighted, tied
the camel to a tree on the spot, and began
smoking. The mendicant supplied him not only
with tobacco, but with ganja and other intoxicating
drugs, so that in a short time the camel-driver
became quite intoxicated and fell asleep. The
young thief led away the camel with the treasure
on its back in the dead of night, through narrow
lanes and bye-paths to his own house. That very
night the camel was killed, and its carcase buried
in deep pits in the earth, and the thing was so

^ A religious mendicant.
170

"The camel-driver alighted, tied the camel to a tree
on the spot, and began smoking."

vvAHwicK Goeuf-:.

XI ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES

managed that no one could discover any trace

of it.

The next morning when the king heard that

the camel-driver was lying drunk in the street,

and that the camel had been made away with

together with the treasure, he was almost beside

himself with anger. Proclamation was made in

the city to the effect that whoever caught the

thief would get the reward of a lakh of rupees.

The son of the younger thief — who, by the way,

was in the same school of roguery with the son of

the elder thief, though he did not distinguish

himself so much — now came to the front and said

that he would apprehend the thief. He of course

suspected that the son of the elder thief must have

done it — for who so daring and clever as he ? In

the evening of the following day the son of the

younger thief disguised himself as a woman, and

coming to that part of the town where the young

thief lived, began to weep very much, and went

from door to door saying — " O sirs, can any of you

give me a bit of camel's flesh, for my son is dying,

and the doctors say nothing but eating camel's

meat can save his life. O for pity's sake, do give

me a bit of camel's flesh." At last he went to the

house of the young thief, and begged of the wife

— for the young thief himself was out — to tell him

where he could get hold of camel's flesh, as his son

would assuredly perish if it could not be got.

Saying this he rent the air with his cries, and fell

down at the feet of the young thiefs wife.

Woman as she was, though the wife of a thief, she

171

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xi

felt pity for the supposed woman, and said — " Wait,
and I will try and get some camel's flesh for your
son." So saying, she secretly went to the spot
where the dead camel had been buried, brought a
small quantity of flesh, and gave it to the party.
The son of the younger thief was now entranced
with joy. He went and told the king that he had
succeeded in tracing the thief, and would be ready
to deliver him up at night if the king would send
some constables with him. At night the elder
thief and his son were captured, the body of the
camel dug out, and all the treasures in the house
seized. The following morning the king sat in
judgment. The son of the elder thief confessed
that he had stolen the queen's gold chain, and
killed the maid-servant, and had taken away the
camel ; but he added that the person who had
detected him and his father — the younger thief —
were also thieves and murderers, of which fact he
gave undoubted proofs. As the king had promised
to give a lakh of rupees to the detective, that sum
was placed before the son of the younger thief.
But soon after he ordered four pits to be dug in
the earth in which were buried alive, with all
sorts of thorns and thistles, the elder thief and the
younger thief, and their two sons.

Here my story endeth.

The Natiya-thorn wither eth^ etc.

172

XII

THE GHOST-BRAHMAN

Once on a time there lived a poor Brahman, who
not being a Kulin, found it the hardest thing in
the world to get married. He went to rich
people and begged of them to give him money
that he might marry a wife. And a large sum of
money was needed, not so much for the expenses
of the wedding, as for giving to the parents of the
bride. He begged from door to door, flattered
many rich folk, and at last succeeded in scraping
together the sum needed. The wedding took
place in due time ; and he brought home his wife
to his mother. After a short time he said to his
mother — " Mother, I have no means to support
you and my wife ; I must therefore go to distant
countries to get money somehow or other. I may
be away for years, for I won't return till I get a
good sum. In the meantime I'll give you what I
have ; you make the best of it, and take care of
my wife." The Brahman receiving his mother's
blessing set out on his travels. In the evening
of that very day, a ghost assuming the exact
appearance of the Brahman came into the house.

173

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xii

The newly married woman, thinking it was her
husband, said to him — " How is it that you have
returned so soon ? You said you might be away
for years ; why have you changed your mind ? "
The ghost said— " To-day is not a lucky day, I
have therefore returned home ; besides, I have
already got some money." The mother did not
doubt but that it was her son. So the ghost lived
in the house as if he was its owner, and as if he
was the son of the old woman and the husband
of the young woman. As the ghost and the
Brahman were exactly like each other in every-
thing, like two peas, the people in the neigh-
bourhood all thought that the ghost was the
real Brahman. After some years the Brahman
returned from his travels ; and what was his
surprise when he found another like him in
the house. The ghost said to the Brahman —
" Who are you ? what business have you to come
to my house ? " " Who am I ? " replied the
Brahman, " let me ask who you are. This is my
house ; that is my mother, and this is my wife."
The ghost said—" Why herein is a strange thing.
Every one knows that this is my house, that is my
wife, and yonder is my mother ; and I have lived
here for years. And you pretend this is your
house, and that woman is your wife. Your head
must have got turned. Brahman." So saying the
ghost drove away the Brahman from his house.
The Brahman became mute with wonder. He
did not know what to do. At last he bethought
himself of going to the king and of laying his case

174

" ' How is it that you have returned so soon ? '

XII THE GHOST-BRAHMAN

before him. The king saw the ghost-Brahman as
well as the Brahman, and the one was the picture
of the other ; so he was in a fix, and did not know
how to decide the quarrel. Day after day the
Brahman went to the king and besought him to
give him back his house, his wife, and his mother ;
and the king, not knowing what to say every time,
put him off to the following day. Every day the
king tells him to — "Come to-morrow"; and
every day the Brahman goes away from the palace
weeping and striking his forehead with the palm
of his hand, and saying — " What a wicked world
this is ! I am driven from my own house, and
another fellow has taken possession of my house
and of my wife ! And what a king this is ! He
does not do justice."

Now, it came to pass that as the Brahman
went away every day from the court outside the
town, he passed a spot at which a great many cow-
boys used to play. They let the cows graze on
the meadow, while they themselves met together
under a large tree to play. And they played at
royalty. One cowboy was elected king ; another,
prime minister or vizier ; another, kotwal, or
prefect of the police ; and others, constables.
Every day for several days together they saw the
Brahman passing by weeping. One day the cow-
boy king asked his vizier whether he knew why
the Brahman wept every day. On the vizier not
being able to answer the question, the cowboy
king ordered one of his constables to bring the
Brahman to him. One of them went and said to

175

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xii

the Brahman — " The king requires your immediate

attendance." The Brahman replied — " What for ?

I have just come from the king, and he put me off

till to-morrow. Why does he want me again ? "

" It is our king that wants you — our neat-herd

king," rejoined the constable. " Who is neat-herd

king ? " asked the Brahman. " Come and see,"

was the reply. The neat-herd king then asked the

Brahman why he every day went away weeping.

The Brahman then told him his sad story. The

neat-herd king, after hearing the whole, said, " I

understand your case ; I will give you again all

your rights. Only go to the king and ask his

permission for me to decide your case." The

Brahman went back to the king of the country,

and begged his Majesty to send his case to the

neat-herd king, who had offered to decide it. The

king, whom the case had greatly puzzled, granted

the permission sought. The following morning

was fixed for the trial. The neat-herd king, who

saw through the whole, brought with him next

day a phial with a narrow neck. The Brahman

and the ghost-Brahman both appeared at the bar.

After a great deal of examination of witnesses and

of speech-making, the neat-herd king said —

" Well, I have heard enough. I'll decide the case

at once. Here is this phial. Whichever of you

will enter into it shall be declared by the court to

be the rightful owner of the house the title of

which is in dispute. Now, let me see, which of

you will enter." The Brahman said — " You are a

neat-herd, and your intellect is that of a neat-herd.

176

XII THE GHOST-BRAHMAN

What man can enter into such a small phial ? "
" If you cannot enter," said the neat-herd king,
" then you are not the rightful owner. What do
you say, sir, to this ? " turning to the ghost-
Brahman and addressing him. " If you can enter
into the phial, then the house and the wife and
the mother become yours." " Of course I will
enter," said the ghost. And true to his word, to
the wonder of all, he made himself into a small
creature like an insect, and entered into the phial.
The neat-herd king forthwith corked up the phial,
and the ghost could not get out. Then, addressing
the Brahman, the neat-herd king said, "Throw
this phial into the bottom of the sea, and take
possession of your house, wife, and mother." The
Brahman did so, and lived happily for many years
and begat sons and daughters.

Here my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn wither eth^ etc.

Ill N

XIII

THE MAN WHO WISHED TO BE

PERFECT

Once on a time a religious mendicant came to a
king who had no issue, and said to him, " As you
are anxious to have a son, I can give to the queen
a drug, by swallowing which she will give birth
to twin sons ; but I will give the medicine on this
condition, that of those twins you will give one
to me, and keep the other yourself." The king
thought the condition somewhat hard, but as he
was anxious to have a son to bear his name, and
inherit his wealth and kingdom, he at last agreed
to the terms. Accordingly the queen swallowed
the drug, and in due time gave birth to two sons.
The twin brothers became one year old, two years
old, three years old, four years old, five years old,
and still the mendicant did not appear to claim his
share ; the king and queen therefore thought that
the mendicant, who was old, was dead, and dismissed
all fears from their minds. But the mendicant was
not dead, but living ; he was counting the years care-
fully. The young princes were put under tutors, and

178

XIII MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT

made rapid progress in learning, as well as in the
arts of riding and shooting with the bow ; and
as they were uncommonly handsome, they were
admired by all the people. When the princes
were sixteen years old the mendicant made his
appearance at the palace gate, and demanded the
fulfilment of the king's promise. The hearts of the
king and of the queen were dried up within them.
They had thought that the mendicant was no more
in the land of the living ; but what was their
surprise when they saw him standing at the gate
in flesh and blood, and demanding one of the young
princes for himself.? The king and queen were
plunged into a sea of grief There was nothing
for it, however, but to part with one of the princes ;
for the mendicant might by his curse turn into
ashes not only both the princes, but also the king,
queen, palace, and the whole of the kingdom to
boot. But which one was to be given away ?
The one was as dear as the other. A fearful
struggle arose in the hearts of the king and queen.
As for the young princes, each of them said, " I'll
go," " I'll go." The younger one said to the elder,
" You are older, if only by a few minutes ; you are
the pride of my father ; you remain at home, I'll
go with the mendicant." The elder said to the
younger, " You are younger than I am ; you are
the joy of my mother ; you remain at home, I'll
go with the mendicant." After a great deal of
yea and nay, after a great deal of mourning and
lamentation, after the queen had wetted her clothes
with her tears, the elder prince was let go with the

179

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xiii

mendicant. But before the prince left his father's

roof he planted with his own hands a tree in the

courtyard of the palace, and said to his parents and

brother, " This tree is my life. When you see the

tree green and fresh, then know that it is well with

me ; when you see the tree fade in some parts,

then know that I am in an ill case ; and when

you see the whole tree fade, then know that I am

dead and gone.'^ Then kissing and embracing the

king and queen and his brother, he followed the

mendicant.

As the mendicant and the prince were wending

their way towards the forest they saw some dog's

whelps on the roadside. One of the whelps said

to its dam, " Mother, I wish to go with that

handsome young man, who must be a prince."

The dam said, " Go " ; and the prince gladly took

the puppy as his companion. They had not gone

far when upon a tree on the roadside they saw a

hawk and its young ones. One of the young ones

said to its dam, " Mother, I wish to go with that

handsome young man, who must be the son of a

king." The hawk said, " Go " ; and the prince

gladly took the young hawk as his companion. So

the mendicant, the prince, with the puppy and the

young hawk, went on their journey. At last they

went into the depth of the forest far away from the

houses of men, where they stopped before a hut

thatched with leaves. That was the mendicant's

cell. The mendicant said to the prince, " You are

to live in this hut with me. Your chief work will

be to cull flowers from the forest for my devotions.

i8o

1; ■' ,

" At dawn he used to cull flowers in the forest."

XIII MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT

You can go on every side except the north. If

you go towards the north evil will betide you.

You can eat whatever fruit or root you like ; and

for your drink, you will get it from the brook."

The prince disliked neither the place nor his work.

At dawn he used to cull flowers in the forest and

give them to the mendicant ; after which the

mendicant went away somewhere the whole day

and did not return till sundown ; so the prince had

the whole day to himself. He used to walk about

in the forest with his two companions — the puppy

and the young hawk. He used to shoot arrows

at the deer, of which there was a great number ;

and thus made the best of his time. One day as he

pierced a stag with an arrow, the wounded stag ran

towards the north, and the prince, not thinking of

the mendicant's behest, followed the stag, which

entered into a fine-looking house that stood close

by. The prince entered, but instead of finding the

deer he saw a young woman of matchless beauty

sitting near the door with a dice-table set before

her. The prince was rooted to the spot while

he admired the heaven-born beauty of the lady.

" Come in, stranger," said the lady ; " chance has

brought you here, but don't go away without

having with me a game of dice." The prince

gladly agreed to the proposal. As it was a game

of risk they agreed that if the prince lost the game

he should give his young hawk to the lady ; and

that if the lady lost it, she should give to the prince

a young hawk just like that of the prince. The

lady won the game ; she therefore took the prince's

i8i

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xiii

young hawk and kept it in a hole covered with a

plank. The prince offered to play a second time,

and the lady agreeing to it, they fell to it again, on

the condition that if the lady won the game she

should take the prince's puppy, and if she lost it

she should give to the prince a puppy just like that

of the prince. The lady won again, and stowed

away the puppy in another hole with a plank upon

it. The prince offered to play a third time, and

the wager was that, if the prince lost the game, he

should give himself up to the lady to be done to by

her anything she pleased ; and that if he won, the

lady should give him a young man exactly like

himself. The lady won the game a third time ;

she therefore caught hold of the prince and put

him in a hole covered over with a plank. Now,

the beautiful lady was not a woman at all ; she was

a Rakshasi who lived upon human flesh, and her

mouth watered at the sight of the tender body of

the young prince. But as she had had her food

that day she reserved the prince for the meal of the

following day.

Meantime there was great weeping in the

house of the prince's father. His brother used

every day to look at the tree planted in the

courtyard by his own hand. Hitherto he had

found the leaves of a living green colour ; but

suddenly he found some leaves fading. He gave

the alarm to the king and queen, and told them

how the leaves were fading. They concluded that

the life of the elder prince must be in great danger.

The younger prince therefore resolved to go to

182

XIII MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT

the help of his brother, but before going he
planted a tree in the courtyard of the palace,
similar to the one his brother had planted, and
which was to be the index of the manner of his
life. He chose the swiftest steed in the king's
stables, and galloped towards the forest. In the
way he saw a dog with a puppy, and the puppy
thinking that the rider was the same that had
taken away his fellow-cub — for the two princes
were exactly like each other — said, " As you have
taken away my brother, take me also with you."
The younger prince understanding that his brother
had taken away a puppy, he took up that cub as
a companion. Further on, a young hawk, which
was perched on a tree on the roadside, said to the
prince, " You have taken away my brother ; take
me also, I beseech you " ; on which the younger
prince readily took it up. With these companions
he went into the heart of the forest, where he saw
a hut which he supposed to be the mendicant's.
But neither the mendicant nor his brother was
there. Not knowing what to do or where to go,
he dismounted from his horse, allowed it to graze,
while he himself sat inside the house. At sunset
the mendicant returned to his hut, and seeing the
younger prince, said, " I am glad to see you. I
told your brother never to go towards the north,
for evil in that case would betide him ; but it
seems that, disobeying my orders, he has gone to
the north and has fallen into the toils of a Rakshasi
who lives there. There is no hope of rescuing
him ; perhaps he has already been devoured."

183

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xiii

The younger prince forthwith went towards the
north, where he saw a stag which he pierced with
an arrow. The stag ran into a house which stood
by, and the younger prince followed it. He was
not a little astonished when, instead of seeing a
stag, he saw a woman of exquisite beauty. He
immediately concluded, from what he had heard
from the mendicant, that the pretended woman was
none other than the Rakshasi in whose power his
brother was. The lady asked him to play a game
of dice with her. He complied with the request,
and on the same conditions on which the elder
prince had played. The younger prince won ; on
which the lady produced the young hawk from
the hole and gave it to the prince. The joy
of the two hawks on meeting each other was
great. The lady and the prince played a second
time, and the prince won again. The lady there-
fore brought to the prince the young puppy lying
in the hole. They played a third time, and the
prince won a third time. The lady demurred to
producing a young man exactly like the prince,
pretending that it was impossible to get one ; but
on the prince insisting upon the fulfilment of the
condition, his brother was produced. The joy of
the two brothers on meeting each other was great.
The Rakshasi said to the princes, " Don't kill me,
and I will tell you a secret which will save the
life of the elder prince." She then told them that
the mendicant was a worshipper of the goddess
Kali, who had a temple not far off; that he be-
longed to that sect of Hindus who seek perfection

184 .

XIII MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT

from intercourse with the spirits of departed men ;
that he had already sacrificed at the altar of Kali
six human victims whose skulls could be seen in
niches inside her temple ; that he would become
perfect when the seventh victim was sacrificed ;
and that the elder prince was intended for the
seventh victim. The Rakshasi then told the
prince to go immediately to the temple to find
out the truth of what she had said. To the temple
they accordingly went. When the elder prince
went inside the temple, the skulls in the niches
laughed a ghastly laugh. Horror-struck at the
sight and sound, he inquired the cause of the
laughter ; and the skulls told him that they were
glad because they were about to get another added
to their number. One of the skulls, as spokesman
of the rest, said, " Young prince, in a few days
the mendicant's devotions will be completed, and
you will be brought into this temple and your
head will be cut ofi^, and you will keep company
with us. But there is one way by which you can
escape that fate and do us good." " Oh, do tell
me," said the prince, " what that way is, and I
promise to do you all the good I can." The skull
replied, " When the mendicant brings you into
this temple to offer you up as a sacrifice, before
cutting off your head he will tell you to prostrate
yourself before Mother Kali, and while you
prostrate yourself he will cut off your head. But
take our advice, when he tells you to bow down
before Kali, you tell him that as a prince you never
bowed down to any one, that you never knew

185

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xiii

what bowing down was, and that the mendicant
should show it to you by himself doing it in your
presence. And when he bows down to show you
how it is done, you take up your sword and sepa-
rate his head from his body. And when you do
that we shall all be restored to life, as the mendi-
cant's vows will be unfulfilled." The elder prince
thanked the skulls for their advice, and went into
the hut of the mendicant along with his younger
brother.

In the course of a few days the mendicant's
devotions were completed. On the following
day he told the prince to go along with him
to the temple of Kali, for what reason he did
not mention ; but the prince knew it was to
offer him up as a victim to the goddess. The
younger prince also went with them, but he
was not allowed to go inside the temple. The
mendicant then stood in the presence of Kali
and said to the prince, " Bow down to the
goddess." The prince replied, '* I have not, as
a prince, bowed to any one ; I do not know how
to perform the act of prostration. Please show
me the way first, and FU gladly do it." The
mendicant then prostrated himself before the
goddess ; and while he was doing so the prince
at one stroke of his sword separated his head
from his body. Immediately the skulls in the
niches of the temple laughed aloud, and the
goddess herself became propitious to the prince
and gave him that virtue of perfection which the

mendicant had sought to obtain. The skulls were

i86

XIII MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT

again united to their respective bodies and became
living men, and the two princes returned to their
country.

Here my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn withereth, etc.

187

XIV
A GHOSTLY WIFE

Once on a time there lived a Brahman who had
married a wife, and who lived in the same house
with his mother. Near his house was a tank, on
the embankment of which stood a tree, on the
boughs of which lived a ghost of the kind called
Sankchinni} One night the Brahman's wife had
occasion to go to the tank, and as she went she
brushed by a Sankchinni who stood near ; on
which the she -ghost got very angry with the
woman, seized her by the throat, climbed into her
tree, and thrust her into a hole in the trunk.
There the woman lay almost dead with fear.
The ghost put on the clothes of the woman and
went into the house of the Brahman. Neither
the Brahman nor his mother had any inkling of the
change. The Brahman thought his wife returned
from the tank, and the mother thought that it was
her daughter-in-law. Next morning the mother-
in-law discovered some change in her daughter-

* Sankchituiis or Sankhachurnis are female ghosts of white complexion.
They usually stand at the dead of night at the foot of trees, and look like
sheets of white cloth.

i88

" The Brahman's wife had occasion to go to the tank,
and as she went she brushed by a Sankchinni."

XIV A GHOSTLY WIFE

in-law. Her daughter-in-law, she knew, was
constitutionally weak and languid, and took a long
time to do the work of the house. But she had
apparently become quite a different person. All
of a sudden she had become very active. She
now did the work of the house in an incredibly
short time. Suspecting nothing, the old woman
said nothing either to her son or to her daughter-
in-law ; on the contrary, she inly rejoiced that her
daughter-in-law had turned over a new leaf. But
her surprise became every day greater and greater.
The cooking of the household was done in much
less time than before. When the mother-in-law
wanted the daughter-in-law to bring anything
from the next room, it was brought in much less
time than was required in walking from one room
to the other. The ghost, instead of going inside
the next room, would stretch a long arm — for
ghosts can lengthen or shorten any limb of their
bodies — from the door and get the thing. One day
the old woman observed the ghost doing this.
She ordered her to bring a vessel from some
distance, and the ghost unconsciously stretched her
hand to several yards' distance, and brought it in a
trice. The old woman was struck with wonder at
the sight. She said nothing to her, but spoke to
her son. Both mother and son began to watch
the ghost more narrowly. One day the old
woman knew that there was no fire in the house,
and she knew also that her daughter-in-law had
not gone out of doors to get it ; and yet, strange
to say, the hearth in the kitchen-room was quite

189

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xiv

in a blaze. She went in, and, to her infinite
surprise, found that her daughter-in-law was not
using any fuel for cooking, but had thrust into the
oven her foot, which was blazing brightly. The
old mother told her son what she had seen, and
they both concluded that the young woman in the
house was not his real wife but a she-ghost. The
son witnessed those very acts of the ghost which
his mother had seen. An Ojlia ^ was therefore
sent for. The exorcist came, and wanted in the
first instance to ascertain whether the woman was
a real woman or a ghost. For this purpose he
lighted a piece of turmeric and set it below the
nose of the supposed woman. Now this was an
infallible test, as no ghost, whether male or female,
can put up with the smell of burnt turmeric.
The moment the lighted turmeric was taken near
her, she screamed aloud and ran away from the
room. It was now plain that she was either a
ghost or a woman possessed by a ghost. The
Vv^oman was caught hold of by main force and
asked who she was. At first she refused to make
any disclosures, on which the Ojha took up his
slippers and began belabouring her with them.
Then the ghost said with a strong nasal accent —
for all ghosts speak through the nose — that she
was a Sankchinni^ that she lived on a tree by the
side of the tank, that she had seized the young
Brahmani and put her in the hollow of her tree
because one night she had touched her, and that if
any person went to the hole the woman would be

1 An exorcist, one who drives away ghosts from possessed persons.

190

XIV A GHOSTLY WIFE

found. The woman was brought from the tree
ahnost dead ; the ghost was again shoebeaten, after
which process, on her declaring solemnly that she
would not again do any harm to the Brahman and
his family, she was released from the spell of the
Ojha and sent away ; and the wife of the Brahman
recovered slowly. After which the Brahman and
his wife lived many years happily together and
begat many sons and daughters.

Thus my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorji withereth, etc.

191

XV
THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA^

Once on a time there lived a poor Brahman who
had a wife. As he had no means of livehhood,
he used every day to beg from door to door, and
thus got some rice which they boiled and ate,
together with some greens which they gleaned
from the fields. After some time it chanced that
the village changed its owner, and the Brahman
bethought himself of asking some boon of the new
laird. So one morning the Brahman went to the
laird's house to pay him court. It so happened
that at that time the laird was making inquiries of
his servants about the village and its various parts.
The laird was told that a certain banyan-tree in
the outskirts of the village was haunted by a
number of ghosts ; and that no man had ever the
boldness to go to that tree at night. In bygone
days some rash fellows went to the tree at night,
but the necks of them all were wrung, and they all
died. Since that time no man had ventured to go
to the tree at night, though in the day some neat-

' The ghost of a Brahman who dies unmarried.
192

XV THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA

herds took their cows to the spot. The new laird
on hearing this said, that if any one would go at
night to the tree, cut one of its branches and bring
it to him, he would make him a present of a
hundred bighas^ of rent-free land. None of the
servants of the laird accepted the challenge, as they
were sure they would be throttled by the ghosts.
The Brahman, who was sitting there, thought
within himself thus — " I am almost starved to
death now, as I never get my bellyful. If I go
to the tree at night and succeed in cutting off one
of its branches I shall get one hundred bighas of
rent-free land, and become independent for life.
If the ghosts kill me, my case will not be worse,
for to die of hunger is no better than to be killed
by ghosts." He then offered to go to the tree and
cut off a branch that night. The laird renewed
his promise, and said to the Brahman that if he
succeeded in bringing one of the branches of that
haunted tree at night he would certainly give him
one hundred bighas of rent-free land.

In the course of the day when the people of
the village heard of the laird's promise and of the
Brahman's offer, they all pitied the poor man.
They blamed him for his foolhardiness, as they
were sure the ghosts would kill him, as they had
killed so many before. His wife tried to dissuade
him from the rash undertaking ; but in vain. He
said he would die in any case ; but there was some
chance of his escaping, and of thus becoming
independent for life. Accordingly, one hour after

' A bigha is about the third part of an acre.

193 O

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xv

sundown, the Brahman set out. He went to the
outskirts of the village without the slightest fear
as far as a certain vakula-trtQ (Mimusops Elengi),
from which the haunted tree was about one rope
distant. But under the vakula-x.vt^ the Brahman's
heart misgave him. He began to quake with fear,
and the heaving of his heart was like the upward
and downward motion of the paddy-husking pedal.
The njakula-Xx&t was the haunt of a Brahmadaitya,
who, seeing the Brahman stop under the tree,
spoke to him, and said, " Are you afraid. Brahman \
Tell me what you wish to do, and I'll help you.
I am a Brahmadaitya." The Brahman replied,
" O blessed spirit, I wish to go to yonder banyan-
tree, and cut off one of its branches for the
zemindar, who has promised to give me one
hundred bighas of rent-free land for it. But my
courage is failing me. I shall thank you very
much for helping me." The Brahmadaitya an-
swered, " Certainly FU help you, Brahman. Go
on towards the tree, and Fll come with you."
The Brahman, relying on the supernatural strength
of his invisible patron, who is the object of the fear
and reverence of common ghosts, fearlessly walked
towards the haunted tree, on reaching which he
began to cut a branch with the bill which was in
his hand. But the moment the first stroke was
given, a great many ghosts rushed towards the
Brahman, who would have been torn to pieces but
for the interference of the Brahmadaitya. The
Brahmadaitya said in a commanding tone, " Ghosts,

listen. This is a poor Brahman. He wishes to

194

" The moment the first stroke was given, a great many-
ghosts rushed towards the Brahman."

TSfW-^'Tar"^

XV THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA

get a branch of this tree which will be of great
use to him. It is my will that you let him cut
a branch." The ghosts, hearing the voice of the
Brahmadaitya, replied, " Be it according to thy
will, lord. At thy bidding we are ready to do
anything. Let not the Brahman take the trouble
of cutting ; we ourselves will cut a branch for
him." So saying, in the twinkling of an eye, the
ghosts put into the hands of the Brahman a branch
of the tree, with which he went as fast as his legs
could carry him to the house of the zemindar.
The zemindar and his people were not a little
surprised to see the branch ; but he said, " Well,
I must see to-morrow whether this branch is a
branch of the haunted tree or not ; if it be, you
will get the promised reward."

Next morning the zemindar himself went along
with his servants to the haunted tree, and found
to their infinite surprise that the branch in their
hands was really a branch of that tree, as they saw
the part from which it had been cut off. Being
thus satisfied, the zemindar ordered a deed to be
drawn up, by which he gave to the Brahman for
ever one hundred bighas of rent-free land. Thus
in one night the Brahman became a rich man.

It so happened that the fields, of which
the Brahman became the owner, were covered
with ripe paddy, ready for the sickle. But the
Brahman had not the means to reap the golden
harvest. He had not a pice in his pocket for
paying the wages of the reapers. What was the
Brahman to do t He went to his spirit-friend the

195

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xv

Brahmadaitya, and said, " Oh, Brahmadaitya, I am
in great distress. Through your kindness I got
the rent-free land all covered with ripe paddy.
But I have not the means of cutting the paddy, as
I am a poor man. What shall I do ? " The
kind Brahmadaitya ansv^ered, " Oh, Brahman,
don't be troubled in your mind about the matter.
I'll see to it that the paddy is not only cut, but
that the corn is threshed and stored up in granaries,
and the straw piled up in ricks. Only you do one
thing. Borrow from men in the village one
hundred sickles, and put them all at the foot of
this tree at night. Prepare also the exact spot
on which the grain and the straw are to be
stored up."

The joy of the Brahman knew no bounds.
He easily got a hundred sickles, as the husbandmen
of the village, knowing that he had become rich,
readily lent him what he wanted. At sunset he
took the hundred sickles and put them beneath the
vakula-tvQ,Q. He also selected a spot of ground
near his hut for his magazine of paddy and for his
ricks of straw ; and washed the spot with a solution
of cow -dung and water. After making these
preparations he went to sleep.

In the meantime, soon after nightfall, when
the villagers had all retired to their houses, the
Brahmadaitya called to him the ghosts of the
haunted tree, who were one hundred in number,
and said to them, " You must to-night do some
work for the poor Brahman whom I am be-
friending. The hundred bighas of land which he

196

XV THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA

has got from the zemindar are all covered with

standing ripe corn. He has not the means to reap

it. This night you all must do the work for him.

Here are, you see, a hundred sickles ; let each of

you take a sickle in hand and come to the field

I shall show him. There are a hundred of you.

Let each ghost cut the paddy of one bigha^ bring

the sheaves on his back to the Brahman's house,

thresh the corn, put the corn in one large granary,

and pile up the straw in separate ricks. Now,

don't lose time. You must do it all this very

night." The hundred ghosts at once said to the

Brahmadaitya, " We are ready to do whatever

your lordship commands us." The Brahmadaitya

showed the ghosts the Brahman's house, and the

spot prepared for receiving the grain and the straw,

and then took them to the Brahman's fields, all

waving with the golden harvest. The ghosts at

once fell to it. A ghost harvest-reaper is different

from a human harvest-reaper. What a man cuts

in a whole day, a ghost cuts in a minute. Mash,

mash, mash, the sickles went round, and the long

stalks of paddy fell to the ground. The reaping

over, the ghosts took up the sheaves on their huge

backs and carried them all to the Brahman's house.

The ghosts then separated the grain from the

straw, stored up the grain in one huge store-house,

and piled up the straw in many a fantastic rick.

It was full two hours before sunrise when the

ghosts finished their work and retired to rest on

their tree. No words can tell either the joy of

the Brahman and his wife when early next morning

197

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xv

they opened the door of their hut, or the surprise of
the villagers, when they saw the huge granary and
the fantastic ricks of straw. The villagers did not
understand it. They at once ascribed it to the gods.
A few days after this the Brahman went to the
vakula-X.vtt, and said to the Brahmadaitya," I have
one more favour to ask of you, Brahmadaitya. As
the gods have been very gracious to me, I wish to
feed one thousand Brahmans ; and I shall thank
you for providing me with the materials of the
feast." " With the greatest pleasure," said the
polite Brahmadaitya ; " I'll supply you with the
requirements of a feast for a thousand Brahmans ;
only show me the cellars in which the provisions
are to be stored away." The Brahman improvised
a store-room. The day before the feast the store-
room was overflowing with provisions. There
were one hundred jars o( g/ii (clarified butter), one
hill of flour, one hundred jars of sugar, one
hundred jars of milk, curds, and congealed milk,
and the other thousand and one things required in
a great Brahmanical feast. The next morning one
hundred Brahman pastrycooks were employed ;
the thousand Brahmans ate their fill ; but the host,
the Brahman of the story, did not eat. He
thought he would eat with the Brahmadaitya.
But the Brahmadaitya, who was present there
though unseen, told him that he could not gratify
him on that point, as by befriending the Brahman
the Brahmadaitya's allotted period had come to an
end, and the pushpaka ^ chariot had been sent to

1 The chariot of Kuvera, the Hindu god of riches.

198

XV THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA

him from heaven. The Brahmadaitya, being
released from his ghostly life, was taken up into
heaven ; and the Brahman lived happily for many
years, begetting sons and grandsons.

Here my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn withereth^ etc.

199

XVI

THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN^

There was a fowler who had a wife. The
fowler's wife said to her husband one day, " My
dear, I'll tell you the reason why we are always in
want. It is because you sell every bird you catch
by your rods, whereas if we sometimes eat some
of the birds you catch, we are sure to have better
luck. I propose therefore that whatever bird or
birds you bag to-day we do not sell, but dress and
eat." The fowler agreed to his wife's proposal,
and went out a-bird-catching. He went about
from wood to wood with his limed rods, accom-
panied by his wife, but in vain. Somehow or
other they did not succeed in catching any bird till
near sundown. But just as they were returning
homewards they caught a beautiful hiraman. The
fowler's wife, taking the bird in her hand and
feeling it all over, said, " What a small bird this
is ! how much meat can it have ? There is no
use in killing it." The hiraman said, " Mother,

1 " Hiraman (from harit, green, and mani, a gem), the name of a beautiful
species of parrot, a native of the Molucca Islands {Psittacus sinensis)." —
Carey's Dictionary of the Bengalee Language, vol. ii. part iii. p. 1537.

200

XVI THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN

do not kill me, but take me to the king, and you
will get a large sum of money by selling me."
The fowler and his wife were greatly taken aback
on hearing the bird speak, and they asked the bird
what price they should set upon it. The hiraman
answered, " Leave that to me ; take me to the
king and offer me for sale ; and when the king
asks my price, say, ' The bird will tell its own
price,' and then I'll mention a large sum." The
fowler accordingly went the next day to the king's
palace, and offered the bird for sale. The king,
delighted with the beauty of the bird, asked the
fowler what he would take for it. The fowler
said, " O great king, the bird will tell its own
price." " What ! can the bird speak .? " asked the
king. " Yes, my lord ; be pleased to ask the bird
its price," replied the fowler. The king, half in
jest and half in seriousness, said, " Well, hiraman,
what is your price ? " The hiraman answered,
" Please your majesty, my price is ten thousand
rupees. Do not think that the price is too high.
Count out the money for the fowler, for I'll be
of the greatest service to your majesty." " What
service can you be of to me, hiraman ? " asked the
king. " Your majesty will see that in due time,"
replied the hiraman. The king, surprised beyond
measure at hearing the hiraman talk, and talk so
sensibly, took the bird, and ordered his treasurer to
tell down the sum of ten thousand rupees to the
fowler.

The king had six queens, but he was so taken
up with the bird that he almost forgot that they

201

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvi

lived ; at any rate, his days and nights were spent
in the company, not of the queens, but of the bird.
The hiraman not only replied intelligently to
every question the king put, but it recited to him
the names of the three hundred and thirty millions
of the gods of the Hindu pantheon, the hearing of
which is always regarded as an act of piety. The
queens felt that they were neglected by the king,
became jealous of the bird, and determined to kill
it. It was long before they got an opportunity,
as the bird was the king's inseparable companion.
One day the king went out a-hunting, and he was
to be away from the palace for two days. The
six queens determined to avail themselves of the
opportunity and put an end to the life of the bird.
They said to one another, " Let us go and ask the
bird which of us is the ugliest in his estimation,
and she whom he pronounces the ugliest shall
strangle the bird." Thus resolved, they all went
into the room where the bird was ; but before the
queens could put any questions the bird so sweetly
and so piously recited the names of the gods and
goddesses, that the hearts of them all were melted
into tenderness, and they came away without
accomplishing their purpose. The following day,
however, their evil genius returned, and they
called themselves a thousand fools for having been
diverted from their purpose. They therefore
determined to steel their hearts against all pity,
and to kill the bird without delay. They all
went into the room, and said to the bird, " O
hiraman, you are a very wise bird, we hear, and

202

XVI THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN

your judgments are all right ; will you please tell
us which of us is the handsomest and which the
ugliest ? " The bird, knowing the evil design of
the queens, said to them, " How can I answer
your questions remaining in this cage ? In order
to pronounce a correct judgment I must look
minutely on every limb of you all, both in front
and behind. If you wish to know my opinion
you must set me free." The women were at first
afraid of setting the bird free lest it should fly
away ; but on second thoughts they set it free
after shutting all the doors and windows of the
room. The bird, on examining the room, saw
that it had a water-passage through which it was
possible to escape. When the question was
repeated several times by the queens, the bird
said, " The beauty of not one of you can be
compared to the beauty of the little toe of the
lady that lives beyond the seven oceans and the
thirteen rivers." The queens, on hearing their
beauty spoken of in such slighting terms, became
exceedingly furious, and rushed towards the bird
to tear it in pieces ; but before they could get at
it, it escaped through the water -passage, and
took shelter in a wood-cutter's hut which was
hard by.

The next day the king returned home from
hunting, and not finding the hiraman on its perch
became mad with grief. He asked the queens,
and they told him that they knew nothing about it.
The king wept day and night for the bird, as he

loved it much. His ministers became afraid lest

203

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvi

his reason should give way, for he used every hour
of the day to weep, saying, " O my hiraman ! O my
hiraman ! where art thou gone ? " Proclamation
was made by beat of drum throughout the kingdom
to the effect that if any person could produce before
the king his pet hiraman he would be rewarded
with ten thousand rupees. The wood - cutter,
rejoiced at the idea of becoming independent for
life, produced the precious bird and obtained the
reward. The king, on hearing from the parrot
that the queens had attempted to kill it, became
mad with rage. He ordered them to be driven
away from the palace and put in a desert place
without food. The king's order was obeyed, and
it was rumoured after a few days that the poor
queens were all devoured by wild beasts.

After some time the king said to the parrot,
" Hiraman, you said to the queens that the beauty
of none of them could be compared to the beauty
of even the little toe of the lady who lives on the
other side of the seven oceans and thirteen rivers.
Do you know of any means by which I can get at
that lady .? "

Hiraman. Of course I do. I can take your
majesty to the door of the palace in which that
lady of peerless beauty lives ; and if your majesty
will abide by my counsel, I will undertake to put
that lady into your arms.

King, I will do whatever you tell me. What
do you wish me to do ?

Hiraman. What is required is a pakshiraj.^ If

1 Winged horse, literally, the king of birds.
204

XVI THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN

you can procure a horse of that species, you can
ride upon it, and in no time we shall cross the
seven oceans and thirteen rivers, and stand at the
door of the lady's palace.

King. I have, as you know, a large stud of
horses ; we can now go and see if there are any
pakshirajes amongst them.

The king and the hiraman went to the royal
stables and examined all the horses. The hiraman
passed by all the fine-looking horses and those of
high mettle, and alighted upon a wretched-looking
lean pony, and said, " Here is the horse I want.
It is a horse of the genuine pakshiraj breed, but it
must be fed full six months with the finest grain
before it can answer our purpose." The king
accordingly put that pony in a stable by itself and
himself saw every day that it was fed with the
finest grain that could be got in the kingdom.
The pony rapidly improved in appearance, and at
the end of six months the hiraman pronounced it
fit for service. The parrot then told the king to
order the royal silversmith to make some khais ^ of
silver. A large quantity of silver khais was made
in a short time. When about to start on their
aerial journey the hiraman said to the king, " I
have one request to make. Please whip the horse
only once at starting. If you whip him more than
once, we shall not be able to reach the palace, but
stick mid-way. And when we return homewards
after capturing the lady, you are also to whip the
horse only once ; if you whip him more than once,

^ Kha't is fried paddy.
205

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvi

we shall come only half the way and remain there."

The king then got upon the pakshiraj with the

hiraman and the silver khais, and gently whipped

the animal once. The horse shot through the air

with the speed of lightning, passed over many

countries, kingdoms, and empires, crossed the oceans

and thirteen rivers, and alighted in the evening at

the gate of a beautiful palace.

Now, near the palace-gate there stood a lofty

tree. The hiraman told the king to put the horse

in the stable hard by, and then to climb into the

tree and remain there concealed. The hiraman

took the silver khais^ and with its beak began

dropping khai after khai from the foot of the tree,

all through the corridors and passages, up to the

door of the bedchamber of the lady of peerless

beauty. After doing this, the hiraman perched

upon the tree where the king was concealed.

Some hours after midnight, the maid-servant of the

lady, who slept in the same room with her, wishing

to come out, opened the door and noticed the silver

khais lying there. She took up a few of them, and

not knowing what they were, showed them to her

lady. The lady, admiring the little silver bullets,

and wondering how they could have got there,

came out of her room and began picking them up.

She saw a regular stream of them apparently issuing

from near the door of her room, and proceeding

she knew not how far. She went on picking up

in a basket the bright, shining khais all through the

corridors and passages, till she came to the foot of

the tree. No sooner did the lady of peerless beauty

206

XVI THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN

come to the foot of the tree than the king, agreeably
to instructions previously given to him by the
hiraman, alighted from the tree and caught hold
of the lady. In a moment she was put upon the
horse along with himself At that moment the
hiraman sat upon the shoulder of the king, the
king gently whipped the horse once, and they all
were whirled through the air with the speed of
lightning. The king, wishing to reach home soon
with the precious prize, and forgetful of the
instructions of the hiraman, whipped the horse
again ; on which the horse at once alighted on the
outskirts of what seemed a dense forest. " What
have you done, O king .? " shouted out the hiraman.
" Did I not tell you not to whip the horse more
than once ? You have whipped him twice, and
we are done for. We may meet with our death
here." But the thing was done, and it could not
be helped. The pakshiraj became powerless ; and
the party could not proceed homewards. They
dismounted ; but they could not see anywhere the
habitations of men. They ate some fruits and roots,
and slept that night there upon the ground.

Next morning it so chanced that the king of
that country came to that forest to hunt. As he
was pursuing a stag, whom he had pierced with
an arrow, he came across the king and the lady of
peerless beauty. Struck with the matchless beauty
of the lady, he wished to seize her. He whistled,
and in a moment his attendants flocked around
him. The lady was made a captive, and her lover,
who had brought her from her house on the other

207

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvi

side of the seven oceans and thirteen rivers, was
not put to death, but his eyes were put out, and
he was left alone in the forest — alone, and yet not
alone, for the good hiraman was with him.

The lady of peerless beauty was taken into the
king's palace, as well as the pony of her lover.
The lady said to the king that he must not come
near her for six months, in consequence of a vow
which she had taken, and which would be
completed in that period of time. She mentioned
six months, as that period would be necessary for
recruiting the constitution of the pakshiraj. As
the lady professed to engage every day in religious
ceremonies, in consequence of her vow, a separate
house was assigned to her, where she took the
pakshiraj and fed him with the choicest grain.
But everything would be fruitless if the lady did
not meet the hiraman. But how is she to get
a sight of that bird ? She adopted the following
expedient. She ordered her servants to scatter on
the roof of her house heaps of paddy, grain, and all
sorts of pulse for the refreshment of birds. The
consequence was, that thousands of the feathery
race came to the roof to partake of the abundant
feast. The lady was every day on the look out for
her hiraman. The hiraman, meanwhile, was in
great distress in the forest. He had to take care
not only of himself, but of the now blinded king.
He plucked some ripe fruits in the forest, and gave
them to the king to eat, and he ate of them him-
self. This was the manner of hiraman's life. The

other birds of the forest spoke thus to the parrot —

208

XVI THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN

" O hiraman, you have a miserable life of it in
this forest. Why don't you come with us to an
abundant feast provided for us by a pious lady, v^ho
scatters many maunds of pulse on the roof of her
house for the benefit of our race ? We go there
early in the morning and return in the evening,
eating our fill along with thousands of other birds."
The hiraman resolved to accompany them next
morning, shrewdly suspecting more in the lady's
charity to birds than the other birds thought there
was in it. The hiraman saw the lady, and had a
long chat with her about the health of the blinded
king, the means of curing his blindness, and about
her escape. The plan adopted was as follows :
The pony would be ready for aerial flight in a
short time — for a great part of the six months had
already elapsed ; and the king's blindness could be
cured if the hiraman could procure from the chicks
of the bihangama and bihangami birds, who had
their nest on the tree at the gate of the lady's
palace beyond the seven oceans and thirteen rivers,
a quantity of their ordure, fresh and hot, and apply
it to the eyeballs of the blinded king. The
following morning the hiraman started on his
errand of mercy, remained at night on the tree at
the gate of the palace beyond the seven oceans and
thirteen rivers, and early the next morning waited
below the nest of the birds with a leaf on his beak,
into which dropped the ordure of the chicks.
That moment the hiraman flew across the oceans
and rivers, came to the forest, and applied the
precious balm to the sightless sockets of the king.

209 p

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvi

The king opened his eyes and saw. In a few days
the pakshiraj was in proper trim. The lady escaped
to the forest and took the king up ; and the lady,
king, and hiraman all reached the king's capital
safe and sound. The king and the lady were
united together in wedlock. They lived many
years together happily, and begat sons and
daughters ; and the beautiful hiraman was always
with them reciting the names of the three hundred
and thirty millions of gods.

Here my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn withereth, etc.

2T0

"The lady, king, and hiraman all reached the king's
capital safe and sound."

XVII

THE ORIGIN OF RUBIES

There was a certain king who died leaving four
sons behind him with his queen. The queen was
passionately fond of the youngest of the princes.
She gave him the best robes, the best horses,
the best food, and the best furniture. The other
three princes became exceedingly jealous of their
youngest brother, and conspiring against him and
their mother, made them live in a separate house,
and took possession of the estate. Owing to over-
indulgence, the youngest prince had become very
wilful. He never listened to any one, not even to
his mother, but had his own way in everything.
One day he went with his mother to bathe in the
river. A large boat was riding there at anchor.
None of the boatmen were in it. The prince
went into the boat, and told his mother to come
into it. His mother besought him to get down
from the boat, as it did not belong to him. But
the prince said, " No, mother, I am not coming
down ; I mean to go on a voyage, and if you wish
to come with me, then delay not but come up at

211

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvii

once, or I shall be off in a trice." The queen
besought the prince to do no such thing, but to
come down instantly. But the prince gave no
heed to what she said, and began to take up
the anchor. The queen went up into the boat
in great haste ; and the moment she was on board
the boat started, and falling into the current
passed on swiftly like an arrow. The boat went
on and on till it reached the sea. After it had
gone many furlongs into the open sea, the boat
came near a whirlpool, where the prince saw a
great many rubies of monstrous size floating on the
waters. Such large rubies no one had ever seen,
each being in value equal to the wealth of seven
kings. The prince caught hold of half a dozen of
those rubies, and put them on board. His mother
said, " Darling, don't take up those red balls ;
they must belong to somebody who has been ship-
wrecked, and we may be taken up as thieves."
At the repeated entreaties of his mother the prince
threw them into the sea, keeping only one tied up
in his clothes. The boat then drifted towards the
coast, and the queen and the prince arrived at a
certain port where they landed.

The port where they landed was not a small
place ; it was a large city, the capital of a great
king. Not far from the place, the queen and her
son hired a hut where they lived. As the prince
was yet a boy, he was fond of playing at marbles.
When the children of the king came out to play
on a lawn before the palace, our young prince
joined them. He had no marbles, but he played

212

XVII

THE ORIGIN OF RUBIES

with the ruby which he had in his possession.
The ruby was so hard that it broke every taw
against which it struck. The daughter of the
ktng, who used to watch the games from a balcony
of the palace, was astonished to see a brilliant red
ball in the hand of the strange lad, and wanted to
take possession of it. She told her father that a
boy of the street had an uncommonly bright stone
in his possession which she must have, or else she
would starve herself to death. The king ordered
his servants to bring to him the lad with the
precious stone. When the boy was brought, the
king wondered at the largeness and brilliancy of
the ruby. He had never seen anything like it.
He doubted whether any king of any country in
the world possessed so great a treasure. He asked
the lad where he had got it. The lad replied that
he got it from the sea. The king offered a thousand
rupees for the ruby, and the lad not knowing its
value readily parted with it for that sum. He
went with the money to his mother, who was not
a little frightened, thinking that her son had stolen
the money from some rich man's house. She
became quiet, however, on being assured that the
money was given to him by the king in exchange
for the red ball which he had picked up in

the sea.

The king's daughter, on getting the ruby, put
it in her hair, and, standing before her pet parrot,
said to the bird, " Oh, my darling parrot, don't I
look very beautiful with this ruby in my hair ? "
The parrot replied, " Beautiful ! you look quite

213

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvii

hideous with it ! What princess ever puts only

one ruby in her hair ? It would be somewhat

feasible if you had two at least." Stung with

shame at the reproach cast in her teeth by the

parrot, the princess went into the grief-chamber of

the palace, and would neither eat nor drink. The

king was not a little concerned when he heard that

his daughter had gone into the grief-chamber.

He went to her, and asked her the cause of her

grief. The princess told the king what her pet

parrot had said, and added, " Father, if you do not

procure for me another ruby like this, Fll put an

end to my life by mine own hands." The king

was overwhelmed with grief. Where was he to get

another ruby like it ? He doubted whether another

like it could be found in the whole world. He

ordered the lad who had sold the ruby to be

brought into his presence. " Have you, young

man," asked the king, " another ruby like the one

you sold me ? " The lad replied, " No, I have not

got one. Why, do you want another .? I can

give you lots, if you wish to have them. They are

to be found in a whirlpool in the sea, far, far

away. I can go and fetch some for you." Amazed

at the lad's reply, the king offered rich rewards for

procuring only another ruby of the same sort.

The lad went home and said to his mother that

he must go to sea again to fetch some rubies for

the king. The woman was quite frightened at the

idea, and begged him not to go. But the lad

was resolved on going, and nothing could prevent

him from carrying out his purpose. He accordingly

214

"'What princess ever puts only one ruby in her hair ?

XVII THE ORIGIN OF RUBIES

went alone on board that same vessel which had
brought him and his mother, and set sail. He
reached the whirlpool, from near which he had
formerly picked up the rubies. This time, how-
ever, he determined to go to the exact spot whence
the rubies were coming out. He went to the
centre of the whirlpool, where he saw a gap
reaching to the bottom of the ocean. He dived
into it, leaving his boat to wheel round the
whirlpool. When he reached the bottom of the
ocean he saw there a beautiful palace. He went
inside. In the central room of the palace there
was the god Siva, with his eyes closed, and absorbed
apparently in intense meditation. A few feet above
Siva's head was a platform, on which lay a young
lady of exquisite beauty. The prince went to the
platform and saw that the head of the lady was
separated from her body. Horrified at the sight, he
did not know what to make of it. He saw a stream
of blood trickling from the severed head, falling
upon the matted head of Siva, and running into the
ocean in the form of rubies. After a little two small
rods, one of silver and one of gold, which were lying
near the head of the lady, attracted his eyes. As
he took up the rods in his hands, the golden rod
accidentally fell upon the head, on which the head
immediately joined itself to the body, and the lady
got up. Astonished at the sight of a human
being, the lady asked the prince who he was and
how he had got there. After hearing the story of
the prince's adventures, the lady said, " Unhappy

young man, depart instantly from this place ; for

215

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xvii

when Siva finishes his meditations he will turn you
to ashes by a single glance of his eyes." The
young man, however, would not go except in her
company, as he was over head and ears in love with
the beautiful lady. At last they both contrived
to run away from the palace, and coming up to the
surface of the ocean they climbed into the boat
near the centre of the whirlpool, and sailed away
towards land, having previously laden the vessel
with a cargo of rubies. The wonder of the prince's
mother at seeing the beautiful damsel may be well
imagined. Early next morning the prince sent a
basin full of big rubies, through a servant. The
king was astonished beyond measure. His daughter,
on getting the rubies, resolved on marrying the
wonderful lad who had made a present of them to
her. Though the prince had a wife, whom he
had brought up from the depths of the ocean,
he consented to have a second wife. They were
accordingly married, and lived happily for years,
begetting sons and daughters.

Here my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn wither eth^ etc.

216

" Coming up to the surface they climbed into the boat.

XVIII
THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL

Once on a time there lived a weaver, whose
ancestors were very rich, but whose father had
wasted the property which he had inherited in
riotous living. He was born in a palace-like house,
but he now lived in a miserable hut. He had no
one in the world, his parents and all his relatives
having died. Hard by the hut was the lair of a
jackal. The jackal, remembering the wealth and
grandeur of the weaver's forefathers, had com-
passion on him, and one day coming to him, said,
" Friend weaver, I see what a wretched life you
are leading. I have a good mind to improve your
condition. I'll try and marry you to the daughter
of the king of this country." " I become the
king's son-in-law ! " replied the weaver ; " that
will take place only when the sun rises in the
west." " You doubt my power ? " rejoined the
jackal ; " you will see, I'll bring it about."

The next morning the jackal started for the
king's city, which was many miles off. On the
way he entered a plantation of the Piper betel

217

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xviii

plant, and plucked a large quantity of its leaves.
He reached the capital, and contrived to get inside
the palace. On the premises of the palace was a
tank in w^hich the ladies of the king's household
performed their morning and afternoon ablutions.
At the entrance of that tank the jackal laid himself
down. The daughter of the king happened to
come just at the time to bathe, accom.panied by
her maids. The princess was not a little struck at
seeing the jackal lying down at the entrance. She
told her maids to drive the jackal away. The
jackal rose as if from sleep, and instead of running
away, opened his bundle of betel-leaves, put some
into his mouth, and began chewing them. The
princess and her maids were not a little astonished
at the sight. They said among themselves,
" What an uncommon jackal is this ! From what
country can he have come ? A jackal chewing
betel-leaves ! why thousands of men and women
of this city cannot indulge in that luxury. He
must have come from a wealthy land." The
princess asked the jackal, " Sivalu ! ^ from what
country do you come ? It must be a very
prosperous country where the jackals chew betel-
leaves. Do other animals in your country chew
betel-leaves ? " " Dearest princess," replied the
jackal, " I come from a land flowing with milk and
honey. Betel-leaves are as plentiful in my country
as the grass in your fields. All animals in my
country — cows, sheep, dogs — chew betel-leaves.
We want no good thing." " Happy is the

1 A name for a jackal, not unlike Reynard in Europe.

2l8

"The jackal . . . opened his bundle of betel-leaves, put
some into his mouth, and began chewing them."

XVIII THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL

country," said the princess, " where there is such
plenty, and thrice happy the king who rules in
it ! " " As for our king," said the jackal, " he is the
richest king in the world. His palace is like the
heaven of Indra. I have seen your palace here ;
it is a miserable hut compared to the palace of our
king." The princess, whose curiosity was excited
to the utmost pitch, hastily went through her
bath, and going to the apartments of the queen-
mother, told her of the wonderful jackal lying at
the entrance of the tank. Her curiosity being
excited, the jackal was sent for. When the jackal
stood in the presence of the queen, he began
munching the betel-leaves. "You come," said
the queen, "from a very rich country. Is your
king married ? " " Please your majesty, our king
is not married. Princesses from distant parts of
the world tried to get married to him, but he
rejected them all. Happy will that princess be
whom our king condescends to marry ! " " Don't
you think, Sivalu," asked the queen, "that my
daughter is as beautiful as a Peri, and that she is
fit to be the wife of the proudest king in the
world ? " "I quite think," said the jackal, " that
the princess is exceedingly handsome ; indeed, she
is the handsomest princess I have ever seen ; but I
don't know whether our king will have a liking
for her." " Liking for my daughter ! " said the
queen, " you have only to paint her to him as she
is, and he is sure to turn mad with love. To be
serious, Sivalu, 1 am anxious to get my daughter
married. Many princes have sought her hand,

219

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xviii

but I am unwilling to give her to any of them, as
they are not the sons of great kings. But your
king seems to be a great king. I can have no
objection to making him my son-in-law." The
queen sent word to the king, requesting him to
come and see the jackal. The king came and saw
the jackal, heard him describe the wealth and
pomp of the king of his country, and expressed
himself not unwilling to give away his daughter
in marriage to him.

The jackal after this returned to the weaver
and said to him, " O lord of the loom, you are the
luckiest man in the world ; it is all settled ; you
are to become the son-in-law of a great king. I
have told them that you are yourself a great king,
and you must behave yourself as one. You must
do just as I instruct you, otherwise your fortune
will not only not be made, but both you and I
will be put to death." " I'll do just as you bid
me," said the weaver. The shrewd jackal drew
in his own mind a plan of the method of procedure
he should adopt, and after a few days went back to
the palace of the king in the same manner in
which he had gone before, that is to say, chewing
betel-leaves and lying down at the entrance of the
tank on the premises of the palace. The king
and queen were glad to see him, and eagerly asked
him as to the success of his mission. The jackal
said, " In order to relieve your minds I may tell
you at once that my mission has been so far
successful. If you only knew the infinite trouble I
have had in persuading his Majesty, my sovereign,

220

XVIII THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL

to make up his mind to marry your daughter, you
would give me no end of thanks. For a long time
he would not hear of it, but gradually I brought
him round. You have now only to fix an
auspicious day for the celebration of the solemn
rite. There is one bit of advice, however, which
I, as your friend, would give you. It is this.
My master is so great a king that if he were to
come to you in state, attended by all his followers,
his horses and his elephants, you would find it
impossible to accommodate them all in your
palace or in your city. I would therefore propose
that our king should come to your city, not in
state, but in a private manner ; and that you send
to the outskirts of your city your own elephants,
horses, and conveyances, to bring him and only a
few of his followers to your palace." "Many
thanks, wise Sivalu, for this advice. I could not
possibly make accommodation in my city for the
followers of so great a king as your master is. I
should be very glad if he did not come in state ;
and trust you will use your influence to persuade
him to come in a private manner ; for I should be
ruined if he came in state." The jackal then
gravely said, " I will do my best in the matter,"
and then returned to his own village, after the
royal astrologer had fixed an auspicious day for the

wedding. .

On his return the jackal busied himself with
making preparations for the great ceremony. As
the weaver was clad in tatters, he told him to go
to the washermen of the village and borrow from

221

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xviii

them a suit of clothes. As for himself, he went
to the king of his race, and told him that on a
certain day he would like one thousand jackals to
accompany him to a certain place. He went to
the king of crows, and begged that his corvine
majesty would be pleased to allow one thousand
of his black subjects to accompany him on a certain
day to a certain place. He preferred a similar
petition to the king of paddy-birds.

At last the great day arrived. The weaver
arrayed himself in the clothes which he had
borrowed from the village washermen. The jackal
made his appearance, accompanied by a train of a
thousand jackals, a thousand crows, and a thousand
paddy-birds. The nuptial procession started on
their journey, and towards sundown arrived within
two miles of the king's palace. There the jackal
told his friends, the thousand jackals, to set up a
loud howl ; at his bidding the thousand crows
cawed their loudest ; while the hoarse screechings
of the thousand paddy-birds furnished a suitable
accompaniment. The effect may be imagined.
They all together made a noise the like of which
had never been heard since the world began.
While this unearthly noise was going on, the jackal
himself hastened to the palace, and asked the king
whether he thought he would be able to accom-
modate the wedding-party, which was about two
miles distant, and whose noise was at that moment
sounding in his ears. The king said " Impossible,
Sivalu ; from the sound of the procession I infer
there must be at least one hundred thousand souls.

222

XVIII THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL

How is it possible to accommodate so many guests ?
Please, so arrange that the bridegroom only will
come to my house." "Very well," said the jackal ;
" I told you at the beginning that you would not
be able to accommodate all the attendants of my
august master. I'll do as you wish. My master
will alone come in undress. Send a horse for the
purpose." The jackal, accompanied by a horse
and groom, came to the place where his friend the
weaver was, thanked the thousand jackals, the
thousand crows, and the thousand paddy-birds, for
their valuable services, and told them all to go
away, while he himself, and the weaver on horse-
back, wended their way to the king's palace. The
bridal party, waiting in the palace, were greatly
disappointed at the personal appearance of the
weaver ; but the jackal told them that his master
had purposely put on a mean dress, as his would-be
father-in-law declared himself unable to accom-
modate the bridegroom and his attendants coming
in state. The royal priests now began the inter-
esting ceremony, and the nuptial knot was tied for
ever. The bridegroom seldom opened his lips,
agreeably to the instructions of the jackal, who v/as
afraid lest his speech should betray him. At night
when he was lying in bed he began to count the
beams and rafters of the room, and said audibly,
" This beam will make a first-rate loom, that other
a capital beam, and that yonder an excellent sley."
The princess, his bride, was not a little astonished.
She began to think in her mind, " Is the man, to

whom they have tied me, a king or a weaver .'

223

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xviii

I am afraid he is the latter ; otherwise why should
he be talking of weaver's loom, beam, and sley ?
Ah, me ! is this what the fates keep in store for
me ? " In the morning the princess related to the
queen-mother the weaver's soliloquy. The king
and queen, not a little surprised at this recital, took
the jackal to task about it. The ready-witted
jackal at once said, " Your Majesty need not be
surprised at my august master's soliloquy. His
palace is surrounded by a population of seven
hundred families of the best weavers in the world,
to whom he has given rent-free lands, and whose
welfare he continually seeks. It must have been
in one of his philanthropic moods that he uttered
the soliloquy which has taken your Majesty by
surprise." The jackal, however, now felt that it
was high time for himself and the weaver to
decamp with the princess, since the proverbial
simplicity of his friend of the loom might any
moment involve him in danger. The jackal there-
fore represented to the king, that weighty affairs
of state would not permit his august master to
spend another day in the palace ; that he should
start for his kingdom that very day with his bride ;
and his master was resolved to travel incognito on
foot, only the princess, now the queen, should leave
the city in a palki. After a great deal of yea and
nay, the king and queen at last consented to the
proposal. The party came to the outskirts of the
weaver's village ; the palki bearers were sent away ;
and the princess, who asked where her husband's

palace was, was made to walk on foot. The

224

XVIII THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL

weaver's hut was soon reached, and the jackal,
addressing the princess, said, " This, madam, is
your husband's palace." The princess began to
beat her forehead with the palms of her hands in
sheer despair. " Ah, me ! is this the husband
whom Prajapati ^ intended for me ? Death would
have been a thousand times better."

As there was nothing for it, the princess soon
got reconciled to her fate. She, however, deter-
mined to make her husband rich, especially as she
knew the secret of becoming rich. One day she
told her husband to get for her a pice-worth of
flour. She put a little water in the flour, and
smeared her body with the paste. When the paste
dried on her body, she began wiping the paste
with her fingers ; and as the paste fell in small
balls from her body, it got turned into gold. She
repeated this process every day for some time, and
thus got an immense quantity of gold. She soon
became mistress of more gold than is to be found
in the cofi^ers of any king. With this gold she
employed a whole army of masons, carpenters and
architects, who in no time built one of the finest
palaces in the world. Seven hundred families of
weavers were sought for and settled round about
the palace. After this she wrote a letter to her
father to say that she was sorry he had not favoured
her with a visit since the day of her marriage, and
that she would be delighted if he now came to
see her and her husband. The king agreed to
come, and a day was fixed. The princess made

^ The god who presides over marriages.

225 Q

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xviii

great preparations against the day of her father's
arrival. Hospitals were established in several parts
of the town for diseased, sick, and infirm animals.
The beasts in thousands were made to chew betel-
leaves on the wayside. The streets were covered
with Cashmere shawls for her father and his
attendants to walk on. There was no end of the
display of wealth and grandeur. The king and
queen arrived in state, and were infinitely delighted
at the apparently boundless riches of their son-in-
law. The jackal now appeared on the scene, and
saluting the king and queen, said — " Did I not
tell you ? "

Here my story endeth.

The Natiya-thorn withe reth^ etc.

226

XIX

THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS

FOREHEAD

There was a certain king who had six queens,
none of whom bore children. Physicians, holy
sages, mendicants, were consulted, countless drugs
were had recourse to, but all to no purpose. The
king was disconsolate. His ministers told him to
marry a seventh wife ; and he was accordingly on
the look out.

In the royal city there lived a poor old woman
who used to pick up cow-dung from the fields,
make it into cakes, dry them in the sun, and sell
them in the market for fuel. This was her only
means of subsistence. This old woman had a
daughter exquisitely beautiful. Her beauty excited
the admiration of every one that saw her ; and it
was solely in consequence of her surpassing beauty
that three young ladies, far above her in rank and
station, contracted friendship with her. Those
three young ladies were the daughter of the king's
minister, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and
the daughter of the royal priest. These three

227

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

young ladies, together with the daughter of the

poor old woman, were one day bathing in a tank

not far from the palace. As they were performing

their ablutions, each dwelt on her own good

qualities. " Look here, sister," said the minister's

daughter, addressing the merchant's daughter, " the

man that marries me will be a happy man, for he

will not have to buy clothes for me. The cloth

which I once put on never gets soiled, never gets

old, never tears." The merchant's daughter said,

" And my husband too will be a happy man, for

the fuel which I use in cooking never gets turned

into ashes. The same fuel serves from day to day,

from year to year." " And my husband will also

become a happy man," said the daughter of the

royal chaplain, " for the rice which I cook one day

never gets finished, and when we have all eaten,

the same quantity which was first cooked remains

always in the pot." The daughter of the poor old

woman said in her turn, " And the man that

marries me will also be happy, for I shall give

birth to twin children, a son and a daughter. The

daughter will be divinely fair, and the son will

have the moon on his forehead and stars on the

palms of his hands."

The above conversation was overheard by the

king, who, as he was on the look out for a seventh

queen, used to skulk about in places where women

met together. The king thus thought in his

mind — " I don't care a straw for the girl whose

clothes never tear and never get old ; neither do I

care for the other girl whose fuel is never con-

228

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

sumed ; nor for the third girl whose rice never fails
in the pot. But the fourth girl is quite charm-
ing ! She will give birth to twin children, a son
and a daughter ; the daughter will be divinely fair,
and the son will have the moon on his forehead
and stars on the palms of his hands. That is the
girl I want. I'll make her my wife."

On making inquiries on the same day, the king
found that the fourth girl was the daughter of a
poor old woman who picked up cow-dung from
the fields ; but though there was thus an infinite
disparity in rank, he determined to marry her. On
the very same day he sent for the poor old woman.
She, poor thing, was quite frightened when she
saw a messenger of the king standing at the door
of her hut. She thought that the king had sent
for her to punish her, because, perhaps, she had
some day unwittingly picked up the dung of the
king's cattle. She went to the palace, and was
admitted into the king's private chamber. The
king asked her whether she had a very fair
daughter, and whether that daughter was the friend
of his own minister's and priest's daughters. When
the woman answered in the affirmative, he said to
her, " I will marry your daughter, and make her
my queen." The woman hardly believed her own
ears — the thing was so strange. He, however,
solemnly declared to her that he had made up his
mind, and was determined to marry her daughter.
It was soon known in the capital that the king
was going to marry the daughter of the old woman

who picked up cow-dung in the fields. When

229

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

the six queens heard the news, they would not
believe it, till the king himself told them that the
news was true. They thought that the king had
somehow got mad. They reasoned with him
thus — " What folly, what madness, to marry a girl
who is not fit to be our maid-servant ! And you
expect us to treat her as our equal — a girl whose
mother goes about picking up cow-dung in the
fields ! Surely, my lord, you are beside your-
self ! " The king's purpose, however, remained
unshaken. The royal astrologer was called, and an
auspicious day was fixed for the celebration of
the king's marriage. On the appointed day
the royal priest tied the marital knot, and the
daughter of the poor old picker-up of cow-dung in
the fields became the seventh and best beloved
queen.

Some time after the celebration of the marriage,
the king went for six months to another part of his
dominions. Before setting out he called to him
the seventh queen, and said to her, " I am going
away to another part of my dominions for six
months. Before the expiration of that period I
expect you to be confined. But I should like to
be present with you at the time, as your enemies
may do mischief. Take this golden bell and hang
it in your room. When the pains of childbirth
come upon you, ring this bell, and I will be with
you in a moment in whatever part of my dominions
I may be at the time. Remember, you are to
ring the bell only when you feel the pains of child-
birth." After saying this the king started on his

230

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

journey. The six queens, who had overheard the

king, went on the next day to the apartments of

the seventh queen, and said, " What a nice bell of

gold you have got, sister ! Where did you get it,

and why have you hung it up ? " The seventh

queen, in her simplicity, said, " The king has given

it to me, and if I were to ring it, the king would

immediately come to me wherever he might be at

the time." " Impossible ! " said the six queens,

" you must have misunderstood the king. Who

can believe that this bell can be heard at the

distance of hundreds of miles ? Besides, if it could

be heard, how would the king be able to

travel a great distance in the twinkling of an eye ?

This must be a hoax. If you ring the bell, you

will find that what the king said was pure

nonsense." The six queens then told her to make

a trial. At first she was unwilling, remembering

what the king had told her ; but at last she was

prevailed upon to ring the bell. The king was at

the moment half-way to the capital of his other

dominions, but at the ringing of the bell he stopped

short in his journey, turned back, and in no time

stood in the queen's apartments. Finding the

queen going about in her rooms, he asked why she

had rung the bell though her hour had not come.

She, without informing the king of the entreaty of

the six queens, replied that she rang the bell only

to see whether what he had said was true. The

king was somewhat indignant, told her distinctly

not to ring the bell again till the moment of the

coming upon her of the pains of childbirth, and

231

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

then went away. After the lapse of some weeks
the six queens again begged of the seventh queen
to make a second trial of the bell. They said to
her, " The first time when you rang the bell, the
king was only at a short distance from you, it was
therefore easy for him to hear the bell and to come
to you ; but now he has long ago settled in his
other capital, let us see if he will now hear the
bell and come to you." She resisted for a long
time, but was at last prevailed upon by them to
ring the bell. When the sound of the bell reached
the king he was in court dispensing justice, but
when he heard the sound of the bell (and no one
else heard it) he closed the court and in no time
stood in the queen's apartments. Finding that the
queen was not about to be confined, he asked her
why she had again rung the bell before her hour.
She, without saying anything of the importunities
of the six queens, replied that she merely made a
second trial of the bell. The king became very
angry, and said to her, " Now listen, since you have
called me twice for nothing, let it be known to
you that when the throes of childbirth do really
come upon you, and you ring the bell ever so
lustily, I will not come to you. You must be left
to your fate." The king then went away.

At last the day of the seventh queen's deliver-
ance arrived. On first feeling the pains she rang
the golden bell. She waited, but the king did
not make his appearance. She rang again with
all her might, still the king did not make his

appearance. The king certainly did hear the

232

XIX

BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

sound of the bell ; but he did not come as he was
displeased with the queen. When the six queens
saw that the king did not come, they went to the
seventh queen and told her that it was not
customary with the ladies of the palace to be con-
fined in the king's apartments ; she must go to a hut
near the stables. They then sent for the midwife
of the palace, and heavily bribed her to make
away with the infant the moment it should be
born into the world. The seventh queen gave
birth to a son who had the moon on his forehead
and stars on the palms of his hands, and also to an
uncommonly beautiful girl. The midwife had
come provided with a couple of newly born pups.
She put the pups before the mother, saying —
" You have given birth to these," and took away
the twin-children in an earthen vessel. The
queen was quite insensible at the time, and did not
notice the twins at the time they were carried
away. The king, though he was angry with the
seventh queen, yet remembering that she was
destined to give birth to the heir of his throne,
changed his mind, and came to see her the next
morning. The pups were produced before the
king as the offspring of the queen. The king's
anger and vexation knew no bounds. He ordered
that the seventh queen should be expelled from
the palace, that she should be clothed in leather,
and that she should be employed in the market-
place to drive away crows and to keep off dogs.
Though scarcely able to move she was driven
away from the palace, stripped of her fine robes,

233

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

clothed in leather, and set to drive away the crows
of the market-place.

The midwife, when she put the twins in the
earthen vessel, bethought herself of the best way
to destroy them. She did not think it proper to
throw them into a tank, lest they should be dis-
covered the next day. Neither did she think of
burying them in the ground, lest they should be
dug up by a jackal and exposed to the gaze of
people. The best way to make an end of them,
she thought, would be to burn them, and reduce
them to ashes, that no trace might be left of them.
But how could she, at that dead hour of night,
burn them without some other person helping her .?
A happy thought struck her. There was a potter
on the outskirts of the city, who used during the
day to mould vessels of clay on his wheel, and
burn them during the latter part of the night.
The midwife thought that the best plan would be
to put the vessel with the twins along with the
unburnt clay vessels which the potter had arranged
in order and gone to sleep expecting to get up late
at night and set them on fire ; in this way, she
thought, the twins would be reduced to ashes.
She, accordingly, put the vessel with the twins
along with the unburnt clay vessels of the potter,
and went away.

Somehow or other, that night the potter and
his wife overslept themselves. It was near the
break of day when the potter's wife, awaking
out of sleep, roused her husband, and said, " Oh,
my good man, we have overslept ourselves ; it is

234

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

now near morning and I much fear it is now too
late to set the pots on fire." Hastily unbolting
the door of her cottage, she rushed out to the
place where the pots were ranged in rows. She
could scarcely believe her eyes when she saw that
all the pots had been baked and were looking
bright red, though neither she nor her husband
had applied any fire to them. Wondering at her
good luck, and not knowing what to make of it,
she ran to her husband and said, "Just come and
see ! " The potter came, saw, and wondered.
The pots had never before been so well baked.
Who could have done this ? This could have
proceeded only from some god or goddess.
Fumbling about the pots, he accidentally upturned
one in which, lo and behold, were seen huddled
up together two newly born infants of unearthly
beauty. The potter said to his wife, " My dear,
you must pretend to have given birth to these
beautiful children." Accordingly all arrangements
were made, and in due time it was given out that
the twins had been born to her. And such lovely
twins they were ! On the same day many women
of the neighbourhood came to see the potter's wife
and the twins to which she had given birth, and to
offer their congratulations on this unexpected good
fortune. As for the potter's wife, she could not
be too proud of her pretended children, and said to
her admiring friends, " I had hardly hoped to have
children at all. But now that the gods have given
me these twins, may they receive the blessings of
you all, and live for ever ! "

235

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

The twins grew and were strengthened. The
brother and sister, when they played about in the
fields and lanes, were the admiration of every
one who saw them ; and all wondered at the
uncommonly good luck of the potter in being
blessed with such angelic children. They were
about twelve years old when the potter, their
reputed father, became dangerously ill. It was
evident to all that his sickness would end in death.
The potter, perceiving his last end approaching,
said to his wife, " My dear, I am going the way of
all the earth ; but I am leaving to you enough to
live upon ; live on and take care of these children."
The woman said to her husband, " I am not going
to survive you. Like all good and faithful wives,
I am determined to die along with you. You and
I will burn together on the same funeral pyre.
As for the children, they are old enough to take
care of themselves, and you are leaving them
enough money." Her friends tried to dissuade
her from her purpose, but in vain. The potter
died ; and as his remains were being burnt, his
wife, now a widow, threw herself on the pyre, and
burnt herself to death.

The boy with the moon on his forehead — by

the way, he always kept his head covered with a

turban lest the halo should attract notice — and his

sister, now broke up the potter's establishment,

sold the wheel and the pots and pans, and went to

the bazaar in the king's city. The moment they

entered, the bazaar was lit up on a sudden. The

shopkeepers of the bazaar were greatly surprised.

236

v>/l<R.vNicKv GoBue^

"A bright light, like that of the moon, was seen shining
on his forehead."

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

They thought some divine beings must have
entered the place. They looked upon the beauti-
ful boy and his sister with w^onder. They begged
of them to stay in the bazaar. They built a house
for them. When they used to ramble about, they
were always followed at a distance by the woman
clothed in leather, who was appointed by the king
to drive away the crows of the bazaar. By some
unaccountable impulse she used also to hang about
the house in which they lived. The boy in a
short time bought a horse, and went a-hunting in
the neighbouring forests. One day while he was
hunting, the king was also hunting in the same
forest, and seeing a brother huntsman the king
drew near to him. The king was struck with the
beauty of the lad and a yearning for him the
moment he saw him. As a deer went past, the
youth shot an arrow, and the reaction of the force
necessary to shoot the arrow made the turban of
his head fall off, on which a bright light, like
that of the moon, was seen shining on his fore-
head. The king saw, and immediately thought
of the son with the moon on his forehead and
stars on the palms of his hands who was to have
been born of his seventh queen. The youth on
letting fly the arrow galloped off, in spite of the
earnest entreaty of the king to wait and speak to
him. The king went home a sadder man than he
came out of it. He became very moody and
melancholy. The six queens asked him why he
was looking so sad. He told them that he had
seen in the woods a lad with the moon on his

237

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

forehead, which reminded him of the son who
was to be born of the seventh queen. The six
queens tried to comfort him in the best way they
could ; but they wondered who the youth could
be. Was it possible that the twins were living ?
Did not the midwife say that she had burnt both
the son and the daughter to ashes ? Who, then,
could this lad be ? The midwife was sent for by
the six queens and questioned. She swore that
she had seen the twins burnt. As for the lad
whom the king had met with, she would soon find
out who he was. On making inquiries, the
midwife soon found out that two strangers were
living in the bazaar in a house which the
shopkeepers had built for them. She entered the
house and saw the girl only, as the lad had again
gone out a-shooting. She pretended to be their
aunt, who had gone away to another part of the
country shortly after their birth ; she had been
searching after them for a long time, and was now
glad to find them in the king's city near the
palace. She greatly admired the beauty of the
girl, and said to her, " My dear child, you are so
beautiful, you require the kataki^ flower properly
to set off your beauty. You should tell your
brother to plant a row of that flower in this court-
yard." " What flower is that, auntie ? I never
saw it." " How could you have seen it, my
child ? It is not found here ; it grows on the
other side of the ocean, guarded by seven hundred
Rakshasas." " How, then," said the girl, " will

1 Calotropis gigantea.
238

"The six queens tried to comfort him.'

■

UP^

;'*:

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

my brother get it ? " " He may try to get it, if
you speak, to him," replied the woman. The
woman made this proposal in the hope that the
boy with the moon on his forehead would perish
in the attempt to get the flower.

When the youth with the moon on his fore-
head returned from hunting, his sister told him of
the visit paid to her by their aunt, and requested
him, if possible, to get for her the kataki flower.
He was sceptical about the existence of any aunt
of theirs in the world, but he was resolved that,
to please his beloved sister, he would get the
flower on which she had set her heart. Next
morning, accordingly, he started on his journey,
after bidding his sister not to stir out of the house
till his return. He rode on his fleet steed, which
was of the pakshiraj'^ tribe, and soon reached the
outskirts of what seemed to him dense forests of
interminable length. He descried some Rakshasas
prowling about. He went to some distance, shot
with his arrows some deer and rhinoceroses in the
neighbouring thickets, and, approaching the place
where the Rakshasas were prowling about, called
out, " O auntie dear, O auntie dear, your nephew
is here." A huge Rakshasi came towards him
and said, " O, you are the youth with the moon
on your forehead and stars on the palms of your
hands. We were all expecting you, but as you
have called me aunt, I will not eat you up. What
is it you want ? Have you brought any eatables

* Literally the king of birds, a fabulous species of horse remarkable for
their swiftness.

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

for me ? " The youth gave her the deer and
rhinoceroses which he had killed. Her mouth
watered at the sight of the dead animals, and she
began eating them. After swallowing down all '
the carcases, she said, " Well, what do you want ? '*
The youth said, " I want some kataki flowers for
my sister." She then told him that it would be
difficult for him to get the flower, as it was
guarded by seven hundred Rakshasas ; however,
he might make the attempt, but in the first
instance he must go to his uncle on the north side
of that forest. While the youth was going to his
uncle of the north, on the way he killed some deer
and rhinoceroses, and seeing a gigantic Rakshasa at
some distance, cried out, " Uncle dear, uncle dear,
your nephew is here. Auntie has sent me to you."
The Rakshasa came near and said, " You are the
youth with the moon on your forehead and stars
on the palms of your hands ; I would have
swallowed you outright, had you not called me
uncle, and had you not said that your aunt had
sent you to me. Now, what is it you want \ "
The savoury deer and rhinoceroses were then
presented to him ; he ate them all, and then
listened to the petition of the youth. The youth
wanted the kataki flower. The Rakshasa said,
" You want the kataki flower ! Very well, try
and get it if you can. After passing through this
forest, you will come to an impenetrable forest of
kachiri. ^ You will say to that forest, ' O mother
kachiri ! please make way for me, or else I die.*

^ Arum foniicatum.
240

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

On that the forest will open up a passage for you.
You will next come to the ocean. You will say
to the ocean, ' O mother ocean ! please make way
for me, or else I die,' and the ocean will make
way for you. After crossing the ocean, you enter
the gardens where the kataki blooms. Good-bye ;
do as I have told you." The youth thanked his
Rakshasa-uncle, and went on his way. After he
had passed through the forest, he saw before him
an impenetrable forest of kachiri. It was so close
and thick, and withal so bristling with thorns, that
not a mouse could go through it. Remembering
the advice of his uncle, he stood before the forest
with folded hands, and said, " O mother kachiri I
please make way for me, or else I die." On a
sudden a clean path was opened up in the forest,
and the youth gladly passed through it. The
ocean now lay before him. He said to the ocean,
" O mother ocean ! make way for me, or else I
die." Forthwith the waters of the ocean stood up
on two sides like two walls, leaving an open
passage between them, and the youth passed
through dryshod.

Now, right before him were the gardens of the
kataki flower. He entered the inclosure, and found
himself in a spacious palace which seemed to be
unoccupied. On going from apartment to apart-
ment he found a young lady of more than earthly
beauty sleeping on a bedstead of gold. He went
near, and noticed two little sticks, one of gold and
the other of silver, lying in the bedstead. The

silver stick lay near the feet of the sleeping beauty,

241 R

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

and the golden one near the head. He took up

the sticks in his hands, and as he was examining

them, the golden stick accidentally fell upon the

feet of the lady. In a moment the lady woke and

sat up, and said to the youth, " Stranger, how have

you come to this dismal place ? I know who you

are, and I know your history. You are the youth

with the moon on your forehead and stars on the

palms of your hands. Flee, flee from this place !

This is the residence of seven hundred Rakshasas

who guard the gardens of the kataki flower. They

have all gone a-hunting ; they will return by

sundov/n ; and if they find you here you will be

eaten up. One Rakshasi brought me from the

earth where my father is king. She loves me very

dearly, and will not let me go away. By means

of these gold and silver sticks she kills me when

she goes away in the morning, and by means of

those sticks she revives me when she returns in

the evening. Flee, flee hence, or you die ! "

The youth told the young lady how his sister

wished very much to have the kataki flower, how

he passed through the forest of kachiri, and how

he crossed the ocean. He said also that he was

determined not to go alone, he must take the

young lady along with him. The remaining part

of the day they spent together in rambling about

the gardens. As the time was drawing near when

the Rakshasas should return, the youth buried

himself amid an enormous heap of kataki flower

which lay in an adjoining apartment, after killing

the young lady by touching her head with the

242

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

golden stick. Just after sunset the youth heard the
sound as of a mighty tempest : it was the return
of the seven hundred Rakshasas into the gardens.
One of them entered the apartment of the young
lady, revived her, and said, "I smell a human being,
I smell a human being." The young lady replied,
"How can a human being come to this place ? I am
the only human being here." The Rakshasi then
stretched herself on the floor, and told the young
lady to shampoo her legs. As she was going on
shampooing, she let fall a tear-drop on the Rak-
shasi's leg. " Why are you weeping, my dear
child ? " asked the raw - eater ; " why are you
weeping ? Is anything troubling you ? " " No,
mamma," answered the young lady, " nothing is
troubling me. What can trouble me, when you
have made me so comfortable ? I was only thinking
what will become of me when you die." " When
I die, child ? " said the Rakshasi ; " shall I die .?
Yes, of course all creatures die ; but the death of
a Rakshasa or Rakshasi will never happen. You
know, child, that deep tank in the middle part of
these gardens. Well, at the bottom of that tank
there is a wooden box, in which there are a male
and a female bee. It is ordained by fate that if
a human being who has the moon on his forehead
and stars on the palms of his hands were to come
here and dive into that tank, and get hold of the
same wooden box, and crush to death the male
and female bees without letting a drop of their
blood fall to the ground, then we should die. But
the accomplishment of this decree of fate is, I

2+3

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

think, Impossible. For, in the first place, there

can be no such human being who will have the

moon on his forehead and stars on the palms of

his hands ; and, in the second place, if there be

such a man, he will find it impossible to come to

this place, guarded as it is by seven hundred of us,

encompassed by a deep ocean, and barricaded by

an impervious forest of kachiri — not to speak of the

outposts and sentinels that are stationed on the

other side of the forest. And then, even if he

succeeds in coming here, he will perhaps not know

the secret of the wooden box ; and even if he

knows of the secret of the wooden box, he may

not succeed in killing the bees without letting a

drop of their blood fall on the ground. And woe

be to him if a drop does fall on the ground, for

in that case he will be torn up into seven hundred

pieces by us. You see then, child, that we are

almost immortal — not actually, but virtually so.

You may, therefore, dismiss your fears."

On the next morning the Rakshasi got up,

killed the young lady by means of the sticks, and

went away in search of food along with other

Rakshasas and Rakshasis. The lad, who had the

moon on his forehead and stars on the palms of

his hands, came out of the heap of flowers and

revived the young lady. The young lady recited

to the young man the whole of the conversation

she had had with the Rakshasi. It was a perfect

revelation to him. He, however, lost no time

in beginning to act. He shut the heavy gates of

the gardens. He dived into the tank and brought

244

XIX BOY WITH MOON ON FOREHEAD

up the wooden box. He opened the wooden box,

and caught hold of the male and female bees as

they were about to escape. He crushed them on

the palms of his hands, besmearing his body with

every drop of their blood. The moment this was

done, loud cries and groans were heard around

about the inclosure of the gardens. Agreeably to

the decree of fate all the Rakshasas approached the

gardens and fell down dead. The youth with the

moon on his forehead took as many kataki flowers

as he could, together with their seeds, and left the

palace, around which were lying in mountain heaps

the carcases of the mighty dead, in company with

the young and beautiful lady. The waters of the

ocean retreated before the youth as before, and

the forest of kachiri also opened up a passage

through it ; and the happy couple reached the

house in the bazaar, where they were welcomed

by the sister of the youth who had the moon on

his forehead.

On the following morning the youth, as usual,

went to hunt. The king was also there. A deer

passed by, and the youth shot an arrow. As he

shot, the turban as usual fell off his head, and a

bright light issued from it. The king saw and

wondered. He told the youth to stop, as he

wished to contract friendship with him. The

youth told him to come to his house, and gave

him his address. The king went to the house

of the youth in the middle of the day. Pushpavati

— for that was the name of the young lady that

had been brought from beyond the ocean — told the

245

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xix

king — for she knew the whole history — how his
seventh queen had been persuaded by the other six
queens to ring the bell twice before her time, how
she was delivered of a beautiful boy and girl, how
pups were substituted in their room, how the
twins were saved in a miraculous manner in the
house of the potter, how they were well treated in
the bazaar, and how the youth with the moon on
his forehead rescued her from the clutches of the
Rakshasas. The king, mightily incensed with the
six queens, had them, on the following day, buried
alive in the ground. The seventh queen was then
brought from the market-place and reinstated in
her position ; and the youth with the moon on his
forehead, and the lovely Pushpavati and their
sister, lived happily together.

Here my story endeth^

The Natiya-thorn ivithereth^ etc.

246

THE GHOST WHO WAS AFRAID OF
BEING BAGGED

Once on a time there lived a barber who had a
wife. They did not live happily together, as the
wife always complained that she had not enough
to eat. Many were the curtain lectures which
were inflicted upon the poor barber. The wife
used often to say to her mate, " If you had not the
means to support a wife, why did you marry me ?
People who have not means ought not to indulge
in the luxury of a wife. When I was in my
father's house I had plenty to eat, but it seems
that I have come to your house to fast. Widows
only fast ; I have become a widow in your life-
time." She was not content with mere words ;
she got very angry one day and struck her husband
with the broomstick of the house. Stung with
shame, and abhorring himself on account of his
wife's reproach and beating, he left his house,
with the implements of his craft, and vowed never
to return and see his wife's face again till he had
become rich. He went from village to village,

247

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xx

and towards nightfall came to the outskirts of a
forest. He laid himself down at the foot of a tree,
and spent many a sad hour in bemoaning his hard
lot.

It so chanced that the tree, at the foot of
which the barber was lying down, was dwelt in
by a ghost. The ghost seeing a human being at
the foot of the tree naturally thought of destroying
him. With this intention the ghost alighted from
the tree, and, with outspread arms and a gaping
mouth, stood like a tall palmyra tree before the
barber, and said, *' Now, barber, I am going to
destroy you. Who will protect you .? " The
barber, though quaking in every limb through
fear, and his hair standing erect, did not lose his
presence of mind, but, with that promptitude
and shrewdness which are characteristic of his
fraternity, replied, " O spirit, you will destroy me !
wait a bit and I'll show you how many ghosts I
have captured this very night and put into my
bag ; and right glad am I to find you here, as I
shall have one more ghost in my bag." So saying
the barber produced from his bag a small looking-
glass, which he always carried about with him
along with his razors, his whet-stone, his strop and
other utensils, to enable his customers to see
whether their beards had been well shaved or not.
He stood up, placed the looking-glass right against
the face of the ghost, and said, " Here you see one
ghost which I have seized and bagged ; I am
going to put you also in the bag to keep this ghost

company." The ghost, seeing his own face in the

248

" ' Now, barber, I am going to destroy you.
Who will protect you ? ' "

vV/\RLw>cK OoauEl

XX GHOST AFRAID OF BEING BAGGED

looking-glass, was convinced of the truth of what
the barber had said, and was filled with fear. He
said to the barber, " O, sir barber, I'll do whatever
you bid me, only do not put me into your bag. I'll
give you whatever you want." The barber said,
" You ghosts are a faithless set, there is no trusting
you. You will promise, and not give what you
promise." " O, sir," replied the ghost, " be
merciful to me ; I'll bring to you whatever you
order ; and if I do not bring it, then put me into
your bag." " Very well," said the barber, " bring
me just now one thousand gold mohurs ; and by
to-morrow night you must raise a granary in my
house, and fill it with paddy. Go and get the
gold mohurs immediately : and if you fail to do
my bidding you will certainly be put into my
bag." The ghost gladly consented to the con-
ditions. He went away, and in the course of a
short time returned with a bag containing a
thousand gold mohurs. The barber was delighted
beyond measure at the sight of the gold mohurs.
He then told the ghost to see to it that by the
following night a granary was erected in his house
and filled with paddy.

It was during the small hours of the morning that
the barber, loaded with the heavy treasure, knocked
at the door of his house. His wife, who reproached
herself for having in a fit of rage struck her husband
with a broomstick, got out of bed and unbolted
the door. Her surprise was great when she saw
her husband pour out of the bag a glittering heap

of gold mohurs.

249

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xx

The next night the poor devil, through fear of
being bagged, raised a large granary in the barber's
house, and spent the live-long night in carrying on
his back large packages of paddy till the granary
was filled up to the brim. The uncle of this
terrified ghost, seeing his worthy nephew carrying
on his back loads of paddy, asked what the matter
was. The ghost related what had happened. The
uncle-ghost then said, " You fool, you think the
barber can bag you ! The barber is a cunning
fellow ; he has cheated you, like a simpleton as
you are." " You doubt," said the nephew-ghost,
" the power of the barber ! come and see." The
uncle-ghost then went to the barber's house, and
peeped into it through a window. The barber,
perceiving from the blast of wind which the arrival
of the ghost had produced that a ghost was at
the window, placed full before it the self-same
looking-glass, saying, " Come now. Til put you
also into the bag." The uncle-ghost, seeing his
own face in the looking-glass, got quite frightened,
and promised that very night to raise another
granary and to fill it, not this time with paddy,
but with rice. So in two nights the barber became
a rich man, and lived happily with his wife
begetting sons and daughters.

Here my story endeth^

The Nadya-thorn wither eth, etc.

250

XXI

THE FIELD OF BONES

Once on a time there lived a king who had a son.
The young prince had three friends, the son of the
prime minister, the son of the prefect of the police,
and the son of the richest merchant of the city.
These four friends had great love for one another.
Once on a time they bethought themselves of
seeing distant lands. They accordingly set out
one day, each one riding on a horse. They rode
on and on, till about noon they came to the out-
skirts of what seemed to be a dense forest. There
they rested a while, tying to the trees their horses,
which began to browse. When they had refreshed
themselves, they again mounted their horses and
resumed their journey. At sunset they saw in the
depths of the forest a temple, near which they
dismounted, wishing to lodge there that night.
Inside the temple there was a sannyasi^ apparently
absorbed in meditation, as he did not notice the
four friends. When darkness covered the forest, a
light was seen inside the temple. The four friends

1 Religious devotee.
251

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

resolved to pass the night on the balcony of the
temple ; and as the forest was infested with many
wild beasts, they deemed it safe that each of them
should watch one prahara ^ of the night, while the
rest should sleep. It fell to the lot of the
merchant's son to watch during the first prahara^
that is to say, from six in the evening to nine
o'clock at night. Towards the end of his watch
the merchant's son saw a wonderful sight. The
hermit took up a bone with his hand, and repeated
over it some words which the merchant's son
distinctly heard. The moment the words were
uttered, a clattering sound was heard in the
precincts of the temple, and the merchant's son
saw many bones moving from different parts of
the forest. The bones collected themselves inside
the temple, at the foot of the hermit, and lay there
in a heap. As soon as this took place, the watch
of the merchant's son came to an end ; and, rousing
the son of the prefect of the police, he laid himself
down to sleep.

The prefect's son, when he began his watch,
saw the hermit sitting cross-legged, wrapped in
meditation, near a heap of bones, the history of
which he, of course, did not know. For a long
time nothing happened. The dead stillness of the
night was broken only by the howl of the hyaena
and the wolf, and the growl of the tiger. When
his time was nearly up he saw a wonderful sight.
The hermit looked at the heap of bones lying
before him, and uttered some words which the

1 Eighth part of twenty-four hours, that is, three hours.

252

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

prefect's son distinctly heard. No sooner had the
words been uttered than a noise was heard among
the bones, " and behold a shaking, and the bones
came together, bone to its bone " ; and the bones
which were erewhile lying together in a heap now
took the form of a skeleton. Struck with wonder,
the prefect's son would have watched longer, but
his time was over. He therefore laid himself
down to sleep, after rousing the minister's son, to
whom, however, he told nothing of what he had
seen, as the merchant's son had not told him
anything of what he had seen.

The minister's son got up, rubbed his eyes, and
began watching. It was the dead hour of mid-
night, when ghosts, hobgoblins, and spirits of every
name and description, go roaming over the wide
world, and when all creation, both animate and
inanimate, is in deep repose. Even the howl of
the wolf and the hyasna and the growl of the tiger
had ceased. The minister's son looked towards
the temple, and saw the hermit sitting wrapt up
in meditation ; and near him lying something
which seemed to be the skeleton of some animal.
He looked towards the dense forest and the darkness
all around, and his hair stood on end through
terror. In this state of fear and trembling he spent
nearly three hours, when an uncommon sight in
the temple attracted his notice. The hermit,
looking at the skeleton before him, uttered some
words which the minister's son distinctly heard.
As soon as the words were uttered, " lo, the sinews
and the flesh came up upon the bones, and the skin

253

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

covered them above " ; but there v^as no breath
in the skeleton. Astonished at the sight, the
minister's son would have sat up longer, but his
time was up. He therefore laid himself down to
sleep, after having roused the king's son, to whom,
however, he said nothing of what he had seen and
heard.

The king's son, when he began his watch, saw
the hermit sitting, completely absorbed in devotion,
near a figure which looked like some animal, but
he was not a little surprised to see the animal lying
apparently lifeless, without showing any of the
symptoms of life. The prince spent his hours
ap^reeably enough, especially as he had had a long
sleep, and as he felt none of that depression which
the dead hour of midnight sheds on the spirits ;
and he amused himself with marking how the
shades of darkness were becoming thinner and paler
every moment. But just as he noticed a red streak
in the east, he heard a sound from inside the
temple. He turned his eyes towards the hermit.
The hermit, looking towards the inanimate figure
of the animal lying before him, uttered some words
which the prince distinctly heard. The moment
the words were spoken, " breath came into the
animal ; it lived, it stood up upon its feet " ; and
quickly rushed out of the temple into the forest.
That moment the crows cawed ; the watch of the
prince came to an end ; his three companions were
roused ; and after a short time they mounted their
horses, and resumed their journey, each one thinking

of the strange sight seen in the temple.

254

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

They rode on and on through the dense and
interminable forest, and hardly spoke to one another,
till about mid-day they halted under a tree near a
pool for refreshment. After they had refreshed
themselves with eating some fruits of the forest
and drinking water from the pool, the prince said
to his three companions, " Friends, did you not see
something in the temple of the devotee ? I'll tell
you what I saw, but first let me hear what you all
saw. Let the merchant's son first tell us what he
saw as he had the first watch ; and the others will
follow in order."

Merchant's son. I'll tell you what I saw. I
saw the hermit take up a bone in his hand, and
repeat some words which I well remember. The
moment those words were uttered, a clattering
sound was heard in the precincts of the temple, and
I saw many bones running into the temple from
different directions. The bones collected them-
selves together inside the temple at the feet of the
hermit, and lay there in a heap. I would have
gladly remained longer to see the end, but my
time was up, and I had to rouse my friend, the son
of the prefect of the police.

Prefecfs son. Friends, this is what I saw. The
hermit looked at the heap of bones lying before
him, and uttered some words which I well re-
member. No sooner had the words been uttered
than I heard a noise among the bones, and, strange
to say, the bones jumped up, each bone joined itself
to its fellow, and the heap became a perfect skeleton.
At that moment my watch came to an end, and I

255

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

had to rouse my respected friend the minister's
son.

Minister s son. Well, when I began my watch
I saw the said skeleton lying near the hermit. After
three mortal hours, during which I was in great
fear, I saw the hermit lift his eyes towards the
skeleton and utter some words which I well
remember. As soon as the words were uttered the
skeleton was covered with flesh and hair, but it did
not show any symptom of life, as it lay motionless.
Just then my watch ended, and I had to rouse my
royal friend the prince.

King's son. Friends, from what you yourselves
saw, you can guess what I saw. I saw the hermit
turn towards the skeleton covered with skin and
hair, and repeat some words which I well re-
member. The moment the words were uttered,
the skeleton stood up on its feet, and it looked a fine
and lusty deer, and while I was admiring its beauty,
it skipped out of the temple, and ran into the
forest. That moment the crows cawed.

The four friends, after hearing one another's
story, congratulated themselves on the possession
of supernatural power, and they did not doubt but
that if they pronounced the words which they had
heard the hermit utter, the utterance would be
followed by the same results. But they resolved
to verify their pov/er by an actual experiment.
Near the foot of the tree they found a bone lying
on the ground, and they accordingly resolved to
experiment upon it. The merchant's son took up

the bone, and repeated over it the formula he had

256

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

heard from the hermit. Wonderful to relate, a
hundred bones immediately came rushing from
different directions, and lay in a heap at the foot of
the tree. The son of the prefect of the police then
looking upon the heap of bones, repeated the formula
which he had heard from the hermit, and forth-
with there was a shaking among the bones ; the
several bones joined themselves together, and formed
themselves into a skeleton, and it was the skeleton
of a quadruped. The minister's son then drew near
the skeleton, and, looking intently upon it, pro-
nounced over it the formula which he had heard
from the hermit. The skeleton immediately was
covered with flesh, skin, and hair, and, horrible to
relate, the animal proved itself to be a royal tiger
of the largest size. The four friends were filled
with consternation. If the king's son were, by the
repetition of the formula he had heard from the
hermit, to make the beast alive, it might prove
fatal to them all. The three friends, therefore,
tried to dissuade the prince from giving life to the
tiger. But the prince would not comply with the
request. He naturally said, '■^ The manfras^ which
you have learned have been proved true and
efficacious. But how shall I know that the mantra
which I have learned is equally efficacious ? I
must have my mantra verified. Nor is it certain
that we shall lose our lives by the experiment.
Here is this high tree. You can climb into its
topmost branches, and I shall also follow you
thither after pronouncing the mantra.'' In vain

* Charm or incantation.

257 S

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

did the three friends dwell upon the extreme
danger attending the experiment : the prince
remained inexorable. The minister's son, the
prefect's son, and the merchant's son climbed up
into the topmost branches of the tree, while the
king's son went up to the middle of the tree.
From there, looking intently upon the lifeless tiger,
he pronounced the words which he had learned
from the hermit, and quickly ran up the tree.
In the twinkling of an eye the tiger stood upright,
gave out a terrible growl, with a tremendous
spring killed all the four horses which were
browsing at a little distance, and, dragging one of
them, rushed towards the densest part of the forest.
The four friends ensconced on the branches of the
tree were almost petrified with fear at the sight
of the terrible tiger ; but the danger was now over.
The tiger went off at a great distance from them,
and from its growl they judged that it must be at
least two miles distance from them. After a little
they came down from the tree ; and as they now
had no horses on which to ride, they walked on
foot through the forest, till, coming to its end, they
reached the shore of the sea. They sat on the sea-
shore hoping to see some ship sailing by. They
had not sat long, when fortunately they descried
a vessel in the offing. They waved their handker-
chiefs, and made all sorts of signs to attract the
notice of the people on board the ship. The
captain and the crew noticed the men on the shore.
They came towards the shore, took the men upon

board, but added that as they were short of

258

" They approached a magnificent pile of buildings."

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

provisions they could not have them a long time

on board, but would put them ashore at the first

port they came to. After four or five days'

voyage, they saw not far from the shore high

buildings and turrets, and supposing the place to be

a large city, the four friends landed there.

The four friends, immediately after landing,

walked along a long avenue of stately trees, at the

end of which was a bazaar. There were hundreds

of shops in the bazaar, but not a single human

being in them. There were sweetmeat shops in

which there were heaps of confectioneries ranged in

regular rows, but no human beings to sell them.

There was the blacksmith's shop, there was the

anvil, there were the bellows and the other tools of

the smithy, but there was no smith there. There

were stalls in which there were heaps of faded and

dried vegetables, but no men or women to sell

them. The streets were all deserted, no human

beings, no cattle were to be seen there. There

were carts, but no bullocks ; there were carriages,

but no horses. The doors and windows of the

houses of the city on both sides of the streets were

all open, but no human being was visible in them.

It seemed to be a deserted city. It seemed to be

a city of the dead — and all the dead taken out and

buried. The four friends were astonished — they

were frightened at the sight. As they went on,

they approached a magnificent pile of buildings,

which seemed to be the palace of a king. They

went to the gate and to the porter's lodge. They

saw shields, swords, spears, and other weapons sus-

259

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

pended in the lodge, but no porters. They entered
the premises, but saw no guards, no human beings.
They went to the stables, saw the troughs, grain,
and grass lying about in profusion, but no horses.
They went inside the palace, passed the long
corridors — still no human being was visible.
They went through six long courts — still no
human being. They entered the seventh court,
and there and then, for the first time, did they see
living human beings. They saw coming towards
them four princesses of matchless beauty. Each
of these four princesses caught hold of the arm of
each of the four friends ; and each princess called
each man whom she had caught hold of her
husband. The princesses said that they had been
long waiting for the four friends, and expressed
great joy at their arrival. The princesses took the
four friends into the innermost apartments, and
gave them a sumptuous feast. There were no
servants attending them, the princesses themselves
bringing in the provisions and setting them before
the four friends. At the outset the four princesses
told the four friends that no questions were to be
asked about the depopulation of the city. After
this, each princess went into her private apartment
along with her newly-found husband. Shortly
after the prince and princess had retired into their
private apartment, the princess began to shed tears.
On the prince inquiring into the cause, the prin-
cess said, " O prince ! I pity you very much.
You seem, by your bearing, to be the son of a

king, and you have, no doubt, the heart of a king's

260

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

son ; I will therefore tell you my whole story, and
the story of my three companions who look like
princesses. I am the daughter of a king, whose
palace this is, and those three creatures, who are
dressed like princesses, and who have called your
three friends their husbands, are Rakshasis. They
came to this city some time ago ; they ate up my
father, the king, my mother, the queen, my
brothers, my sisters, of whom I had a large
number. They ate up the king's ministers and
servants. They ate up gradually all the people of
the city, all my father's horses and elephants, and
all the cattle of the city. You must have noticed,
as you came to the palace, that there are no human
beings, no cattle, no living thing in this city.
They have all been eaten up by those three
Rakshasis. They have spared me alone — and that,
I suppose, only for a time. When the Rakshasis
saw you and your friends from a distance, they
were very glad, as they mean to eat you all up
after a short time."

King's son. But if this is the case, how do I
know that you are not a Rakshasi yourself?
Perhaps you mean to swallow me up by throwing
me off my guard.

Princess. I'll mention one fact which proves

that those three creatures are Rakshasis, while I

am not. Rakshasis, you know, eat food a hundred

times larger in quantity than men or women.

What the Rakshasis eat at table along with us is

not sufficient to appease their hunger. They

therefore go out at night to distant lands in search

261

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

of men or cattle, as there are none in this city.
If you ask your friends to watch and see whether
their wives remain all night in their beds, they
will find they go out and stay away a good part of
the night, whereas you will find me the whole
night with you. But please see that the Rakshasis
do not get the slightest inkling of all this ; for
if they hear of it, they will kill me in the first
instance, and afterwards swallow you all up.

The next day the king's son called together
the minister's son, the prefect's son, and the
merchant's son, and held a consultation, enjoining
the strictest secrecy on all. He told them what
he had heard from the princess, and requested
them to lie awake in their beds to watch whether
their pretended princesses went out at night or not.
One presumptive argument in favour of the asser-
tion of the princess was that all the pretended
princesses were fast asleep during the whole of the
day in consequence of their nightly wanderings,
whereas the female friend of the king's son did not
sleep at all during the day. The three friends
accordingly lay in their beds at night pretending
to be asleep and manifesting all the symptoms of
deep sleep. Each one observed that his female
friend at a certain hour, thinking her mate to be
in deep sleep, left the room, stayed away the
whole night, and returned to her bed only at dawn.
During the following day each female friend slept
out nearly the whole day, and woke up only in the
afternoon. For two nights and days the three

friends observed this. The king's son also

262

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

remained awake at night pretending to be asleep,
but the princess was not observed for a single
moment to leave the room, nor was she observed
to sleep in the day. From these circumstances
the friends of the king's son began to suspect that
their partners were really Rakshasis as the princess
said they were.

By way of confirmation the princess also told
the king's son, that the Rakshasis, after eating the
flesh of men and animals, threw the bones towards
the north of the city, where there was an immense
collection of them. The king's son and his three
friends went one day towards that part of the city,
and sure enough they saw there immense heaps
of the bones of men and animals piled up into hills.
From this they became more and more convinced
that the three women were Rakshasis in deed and
truth.

The question now was how to run away from

these devourers of men and animals ? There was

one circumstance greatly in favour of the four

friends, and that was, that the three Rakshasis slept

during nearly the whole day ; they had therefore

the greater part of the day for the maturing of

their plans. The princess advised them to go

towards the sea -shore, and watch if any ships

sailed that way. The four friends accordingly

used to go to the sea- shore looking for ships.

They were always accompanied by the princess,

who took the precaution of carrying with her

in a bundle her most valuable jewels, pearls and

precious stones. It happened one day that they

263

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

saw a ship passing at a great distance from the
shore. They made signs which attracted the
notice of the captain and crew. The ship came
towards the land, and the four friends and princess
were, after much entreaty, taken up. The princess
exhorted the crew to row with all their might,
for which she promised them a handsome reward ;
for she knew that the Rakshasis would awake in
the afternoon, and immediately come after the
ship ; and they would assuredly catch hold of the
vessel and destroy all the crew and passengers if it
stood short of eighty miles from land, for the
Rakshasis had the power of distending their bodies
to the length of ten Tojanas} The four friends
and the princess cheered on the crew, and the
oarsmen rowed with all their might ; and the
ship, favoured by the wind, shot over the deep like
lightning. It was near sun-down when a terrible
yell was heard on the shore. The Rakshasis had
wakened from their sleep, and not finding either
the four friends or the princess, naturally thought
they had got hold of a ship and were escaping.
They therefore ran along the shore with lightning
rapidity, and seeing the ship afar off they distended
their bodies. But fortunately the vessel was more
than eighty miles off land, though only a trifle
more : indeed, the ship was so dangerously near
that the heads of the Rakshasis with their widely-
distended jaws almost touched its stern. The
words which the Rakshasis uttered in the hearing
of the crew and passengers were — " O sister, so

* Ayojana is nearly eight miles.
264

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

you are going to eat them all yourself alone."
The minister's son, the prefect's son, and the
merchant's son had all along a suspicion that the
pretended princess, the prince's partner, might after
all also be a Rakshasi ; that suspicion was now
confirmed by what they heard the three Rakshasis
say. Those words, however, produced no effect
in the mind of the king's son, as from his intimate
acquaintance with the princess he could not possibly
take her to be a Rakshasi.

The captain told the four friends and princess
that as he was bound for distant regions in search
of gold mines, he could not take them along with
him ; he, therefore, proposed that on the next
day he should put them ashore near some port,
especially as they were now safe from the clutches
of the Rakshasis. On the following day no port
was visible for a long time ; towards the evening,
however, they came near a port where the four
friends and the princess were landed. After walking
some distance, the princess, who had never been
accustomed to take long walks, complained of
fatigue and hunger ; they all therefore sat under
a tree, and the king's son sent the merchant's son
to buy some sweetmeats in the bazaar which they
heard was not far off. The merchant's son did not
return, as he was fully persuaded in his mind that
the king's son's partner was as real a Rakshasi as
the three others from whose clutches he had
escaped. Seeing the delay of the merchant's son,
the king's son sent the prefect's son after him ; but
neither did he return, he being also convinced that

265

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

the pretended princess was a Rakshasi. The
minister's son was next sent ; but he also joined
the other two. The king's son then himself
went to the shop of the sweetmeat seller where
he met his three friends, who made him remain
with them by main force, earnestly declaring that
the woman was no princess, but a real Rakshasi like
the other three. Thus the princess was deserted
by the four friends who returned to their own
country, full of the adventures they had met with.
In the meantime the princess walked to the
bazaar and found shelter for a few days in the
house of a poor woman, after which she set out
for the city of the four friends, the name and
whereabouts of which city she had learnt from
the king's son. On arriving at the city, she sold
some of her costly ornaments, pearls and precious
stones, and hired a stately house for her residence
with a suitable establishment. She caused herself
to be proclaimed as a heaven-born dice-player, and
challenged all the players in the city to play, the
conditions of the game being that if she lost it she
would give the winner a /ak/i ^ of rupees, and if
she won it she should get a /ak/i from him who
lost the game. She also got authority from the
king of the country to imprison in her own house
any one who could not pay her the stipulated sum
of money. The merchant's son, the prefect's son,
and the minister's son, who all looked upon them-
selves as miraculous players, played with the
princess, paid her many /ak/is, but being unable to

* Ten thousand pounds sterling.
266

" Thus the princess was deserted."

W>k<wiC»< GOBLE.

XXI THE FIELD OF BONES

pay her all the sums they owed her, were im-
prisoned in her house. At last the king's son
offered to play with her. The princess purposely
allowed him to win the first game, which em-
boldened him to play many times, in all of which
he was the loser ; and being unable to pay the
many lakhs owing her, the prince was about to be
dragged into the dungeon, when the princess told
him who she was. The merchant's son, the
prefect's son, and the minister's son were brought
out of their cells ; and the joy of the four friends
knew no bounds. The king and the queen
received their daughter-in-law with open arms,
and with demonstrations of great festivity.

Every one in the palace was glad except the
princess. She could not forget that her parents,
her brothers and sisters had been devoured by the
Rakshasis, and that their bones, along with the
bones of her father's subjects, stood in mountain
heaps on the north side of the capital. The prince
had told her that he and his three friends had the
power of giving life to bones. They could then
reconstruct the frames of her parents and other
relatives ; but the difficulty lay in this — how to
kill the three Rakshasis. Could not the hermit,
who taught them to give life, not teach also how
to take away life ? In all likelihood he could.
Reasoning in this manner, the four friends and the
princess went to the temple of the hermit in the
forest, prayed to him to give them the secret of
destroying life from a distance by a charm. The

hermit became propitious, and granted the boon.

267

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxi

A deer was passing by at the moment. The
hermit took a handful of water, repeated over it
some words which the king's son distinctly heard,
and threw it upon the deer. The deer died in a
moment. He repeated other words over the dead
animal, the deer jumped up and ran away into the
forest.

Armed with this killing charm, the king's son,
together with the princess and the three friends,
went to his father-in-law's capital. As they
approached the city of death, the three Rakshasis
ran furiously towards them with open jaws. The
king's son spilled charmed water upon them, and
they died in an instant. They all then went to
the heaps of bones. The merchant's son brought
together the proper bones of the bodies, the
prefect's son constructed them into skeletons, the
minister's son clothed them with sinews, flesh, and
skin, and the king's son gave them life. The
princess was entranced at the sight of the re-
animation of her parents and other relatives, and
her eyes were filled with tears of joy. After a
few days which they spent in great festivity, they
left the revivified city, went to their own country,
and lived many years in great happiness.

Here my story endeth^

'Vhe Natiya-thorn withereth^ etc.

268

XXII

THE BALD WIFE

A CERTAIN man had two wives, the younger of
whom he loved more than the elder. The
younger wife had two tufts of hair on her head,
and the elder only one. The man went to a
distant town for merchandise ; so the two wives
lived together in the house. But they hated each
other : the younger one, who was her husband's
favourite, ill-treated the other. She made her do
all the menial work in the house ; rebuked her
all day and night ; and did not give her enough to
eat. One day the younger wife said to the elder,
" Come and take away all the lice from the hair
of my head." While the elder wife was searching
among the younger one's hair for the vermin, one
lock of hair by chance gave way ; on which the
younger one, mightily incensed, tore off the single
tuft that was on the head of the elder wife, and
drove her away from the house. The elder wife,
now become completely bald, determined to go
into the forest, and there either die of starvation or
be devoured by some wild beast. On her way

269

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxii

she passed by a cotton plant. She stopped near it,
made for herself a broom with some sticks which
lay about, and swept clean the ground round about
the plant. The plant was much pleased, and gave
her a blessing. She wended on her way, and now
saw a plantain tree. She swept the ground round
about the plantain tree which, being pleased with
her, gave her a blessing. As she went on she saw
the shed of a Brahmani bull. As the shed was
very dirty, she swept the place clean, on which
the bull, being much pleased, blessed her. She
next saw a tulasi plant, bowed herself down before
it, and cleaned the place round about, on which
the plant gave her a blessing. As she was going
on in her journey she saw a hut made of branches
of trees and leaves, and near it a man sitting cross-
legged, apparently absorbed in meditation. She
stood for a moment behind the venerable muni.
" Whoever you may be," he said, " come before
me ; do not stand behind me ; if you do, I will
reduce you to ashes." The woman, trembling
with fear, stood before the muni. " What is
your petition .? " asked the muni. " Father Muni,"
answered the woman, " thou knowest how miserable
I am, since thou art all-knowing. My husband
does not love me, and his other wife, having torn
off the only tuft of hair on my head, has driven me
away from the house. Have pity upon me, Father
Muni ! " The muni^ continuing sitting, said, " Go
into the tank which you see yonder. Plunge into
the water only once, and then come to me again."

The woman went to the tank, washed in it, and

270

" When she got out of the water, what a change
was seen in her ! "

XXII THE BALD WIFE

plunged into the water only once, according to
the bidding of the muni. When she got out of
the water, what a change was seen in her !
Her head was full of jet black hair, which was so
long that it touched her heels ; her complexion
had become perfectly fair ; and she looked young
and beautiful. Filled with joy and gratitude, she
went to the muni^ and bowed herself to the ground.
The muni said to her, " Rise, woman. Go inside
the hut, and you will find a number of wicker
baskets, and bring out any you like." The
woman went into the hut, and selected a modest-
looking basket. The ?nuni said, " Open the
basket." She opened it, and found it filled with
ingots of gold, pearls and all sorts of precious
stones. The muni said, " Woman, take that basket
with you. It will never get empty. When
you take away the present contents their room
will be supplied by another set, and that by
another, and that by another, and the basket
will never become empty. Daughter, go in
peace." The woman bowed herself down to
the ground in profound but silent gratitude, and
went away.

As she was returning homewards with the
basket in her hand, she passed by the tulasi plant
whose bottom she had swept. The tulasi plant
said to her, " Go in peace, child ! thy husband will
love thee warmly." She next came to the shed of
the Brahmani bull, who gave her two shell
ornaments which were twined round its horns,
saying, " Daughter, take these shells, put them on

271

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxii

your wrists, and whenever you shake either of
them you will get whatever ornaments you wish
to obtain." She then came to the plantain
tree, which gave her one of its broad leaves,
saying, "Take, child, this leaf; and when you
move it you will get not only all sorts of
delicious plantains, but all kinds of agreeable
food." She came last of all to the cotton plant,
which gave her one of its own branches, saying,
" Daughter, take this branch ; and when you
shake it you will get not only all sorts of cotton
clothes, but also of silk and purple. Shake it
now in my presence." She shook the branch,
and a fabric of the finest glossy silk fell on
her lap. She put on that silk cloth, and wended
on her way with the shells on her wrists, and
the basket and the branch and the leaf in her
hands.

The younger wife was standing at the door
of her house, when she saw a beautiful woman
approach her. She could scarcely believe her
eyes. What a change ! The old, bald hag
turned into the very Queen of Beauty herself !
The elder wife, now grown rich and beautiful,
treated the younger wife with kindness. She gave
her fine clothes, costly ornaments, and the richest
viands. But all to no purpose. The younger
wife envied the beauty and hair of her associate.
Having heard that she got it all from Father
Muni in the forest, she determined to go there.
Accordingly she started on her journey. She saw
the cotton plant, but did nothing to it ; she passed

272

XXII THE BALD WIFE

by the plantain tree, the shed of the Brahmani
bull, and the tiilasi plant, without taking any
notice of them. She approached the muni. The
mutii told her to bathe in the tank, and plunge
only once into the water. She gave one plunge,
at which she got a glorious head of hair and
a beautifully fair complexion. She thought a
second plunge would make her still more beautiful.
Accordingly she plunged into the water again, and
came out as bald and ugly as before. She came to
the muni^ and wept. The sage drove her away,
saying, " Be off, you disobedient woman. You
will get no boon from me." She went back to
her house mad with grief. The lord of the two
women returned from his travels and was struck
with the long locks and beauty of his first wife.
He loved her dearly ; and when he saw her secret
and untold resources and her incredible wealth, he
almost adored her. They lived together happily
for many years, and had for their maid-servant the
younger woman, who had been formerly his best
beloved.

Here my story endeth^
The Natiya-thorn withereth ;
" W/iy, O Natiya-thorn^ dost wither .^ "
" Why does thy cow on me browse V
" Why^ O cow, dost thou browse ? "
" Why does thy neat-herd not tend j?ie ? "
" Why, O neat-herd, dost not tend the cow f "
" Why does thy daughter-in-law not give f?ie rice ? "
'< Why, O daughter-in-law , dost not give rice ? "

273 T

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL xxii

" Why does my child cry f "
" Why, O child, dost thou cry ? '*
" Why does the ant btte me ? '*
" Why, 0 ant, dost thou bite ? "
Koot ! koot ! koot !

THE END

Printtd by R. & R. Ci.akk, Limited, Kdiuburgh.

A Selection of Macmillan & Co/s
COLOUR BOOKS

GREEN WILLOW AND OTHER JAPANESE

FAIRY TALES. By Grace James. With 16 Illustrations
in Colour by Warwick Goble, 8vo. 5s. net.

THE INGOLDSBY LEGENDS; or, MIRTH

AND MARVELS. With 16 Full-page Illustrations in Colour
by H. G. Theaker. 8vo. 5s. net.

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

and THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS AND WHAT
ALICE FOUND THERE. By Lewis Carroll. With 92
Illustrations by John Tenniel, 16 being in Colour. 8vo.
5 s. net.

THE WATER BABIES. By Charles Kingsley.
With 16 Illustrations in Colour by Warwick Goble. Svo.
5 s. net.

THE FOREST LOVERS. By Maurice Hewlett.

With 16 Illustrations in Colour by A. S. Hartrick. Svo.
5 s. net.

THE JUNGLE BOOK. By Rudyard Kipling.
With 16 Illustrations in Colour by Maurice and Edward
Detmold. Svo. 5s. net.

THE BRUSHWOOD BOY. By Rudyard Kipling.
With Coloured Illustrations by F. H. Townsend. Svo. 6s.

THEY. By Rudyard Kipling. With Coloured
Illustrations by F, H. Townsend. Svo. 6s.

THE LITTLE CITY OF HOPE. A Christmas
Story. By F. Marion Crawford. With Illustrations in Colour
by A. S. Hartrick. Svo. 5s. net.

MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., LONDON.

A Selection of Macmillan & Co.'s
COLOUR BOOKS

WHITE-EAR AND PETER: The Story of a
Fox AND A Fox Terrier. By Neils Heiberg. With i6
Plates in Colour by Cecil Aldin. Pott 4to.

THE COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS OF

GEOFFREY CHAUCER. Now first put in modern English
by John S. P. Tatlock and Percy MacKaye. With 32
Full-page Illustrations in Colour by Warwick Goble. Decor-
ated Cloth. Crown 4to. 15s. net.

STORIES FROM THE PENTAMERONE.

By Giambattista Basile. Selected and Edited by E. F.
Strange. With 32 Illustrations in Colour by Warwick
Goble. Crown 4to. 15 s. net.

OUR VILLAGE. By Mary Russell Mitford.
With Introduction by Anne Thackeray Ritchie, 100 Illus-
trations by Hugh Thomson, and 16 Plates in Colour from
Drawings by Alfred Rawlings. Crown 4to. los. 6d. net,

THE NATURAL HISTORY AND ANTIQUI-
TIES OF SELBORNE. By Gilbert White. With 24
Illustrations in Colour by G. E. Collins, R.B.A. Crown 4to.
I OS. 6d. net.

IN LOTUS-LAND: JAPAN. By Herbert G.
Ponting, F.R.G.S. With 8 Plates in Colour and 96 in
Monochrome. Crown 4to. 21s. net.

CRANFORD. By Mrs. Gaskell. With a Preface

by Anne Thackeray Ritchie, and Illustrations in Colour
by Hugh Thomson. Crown 8vo. 5s. net.

MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd., LONDON.

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Texts

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "Folk-tales of Bengal"

See other formats